Skip to Main Content

Faculty Guide to Library Resources in D2L

Library Research Guide Information on using the library's resources in D2L

Can I Show a Netflix Film in My Class?

Short answer: NO

Except: The titles to the right are a Netflix Original documentaries which do grant permission for classroom use.

Long answer: The Netflix End User License Agreement, which you agreed to when you created an account, specifies that the account is "only for your personal, non-commercial use." Netflix is not alone here; Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other personal streaming vendors do not grant rights for institutional or educational use.

This is important because licenses overrule copyright exemptions. Showing your personal DVD during class is covered by a specific copyright exemption (Section 110), and showing clips can be covered by fair use (Section 107). However, streaming videos from personal subscription vendors in your classroom when the license prohibits such viewings? There is no copyright exemption for that and the situation is problematic.

This is why the library offers to obtain streaming videos through institutional subscription vendors like Swank, Films on Demand, or Kanopy. 

Taken from James E. Tobin Library Libguide: https://molloy.libguides.com/streaming/netflix 

Netflix and Educational Screening

From the Netflix Website: 

Educational Screenings of Documentaries

Some Original educational documentaries are available for one-time educational screenings.

Go to their YouTube channel to see what titles are available for classroom screening or use this link that brings up the title list for Netflix films that are available for educational screenings.

GRANT OF PERMISSION FOR EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS

Netflix is proud to present original documentaries that speak to our users in a meaningful way. We know that many of you are as excited about these films as we are; and because of their informational aspects, you’d like to show them in an educational setting -- e.g., in the classroom, at the next meeting of your community group, with your book club, etc.

Consequently, we will permit one-time educational screenings of permitted documentaries. We use the term "one-time screening" to mean that you can't hold screenings of the same documentary several times in one day or one week. However if, for example, you are an educator who wants to show a documentary once a semester over multiple semesters, that is permitted.

Educational screenings are permitted for any of the documentaries noted with this information, on the following terms:

  • The documentary may only be accessed via the Netflix service, by a Netflix account holder. We don’t sell DVDs, nor can we provide other ways for you to exhibit the film.

  • The screening must be non-profit and non-commercial. That means you can’t charge admission, or solicit donations, or accept advertising or commercial sponsorships in connection with the screening.

  • Please don’t use Netflix’s logos in any promotion for the screening, or do anything else that indicates that the screening is “official” or endorsed by Netflix.

  • We trust our users to respect these guidelines, which are intended to help you share and discuss our documentary content in your community.

To the extent your institution requires you to demonstrate that your have a license for your screening, please show them this page.