Articles

What You Need to Know About Hosting HOA Movie Nights

by Kayla Farley, CMCA - Neighborhood Management, LLC

Summer is a busy time for social events at communities that we manage. While many communities have event committees and actively involved boards to take on the bulk of the planning tasks, they do rely on our expertise for what is required to ensure that they are not exposing the association to liability with their events. With this we often think of insurance, but what about licensing?

Summer movie nights are always a big hit whether held in the park or by the pool. A key planning step in planning a movie night is to make sure that the association has obtained the licensing needed to play the movie. While our communities are not charging admission to neighbors and friends, they are showing the film in a public setting, and this would be a violation of copy right laws. According to U.S. copyright law (Title 17, United States Code, Section 110), a public performance is any screening of a videocassette, DVD, videodisc, or film which occurs outside of the home, or at any place where people are gathered who are not family members.

The cost, on average, for licensing for a public viewing like that of an HOA movie night is $400. This would be for a single public viewing of the film. The licensing can be obtained through the copy right holder of the film, licensing service representing the film studio, or a reputable event company that will provide the film, licensing, and equipment for the event.