Los Angeles, CA – The American Dental Association (ADA) has negotiated an agreement with the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) that gives ADA members the opportunity to obtain a reduced-rate license to exhibit movies and other audiovisual programs at their offices in a copyright compliant manner.

“We are pleased to provide our members the opportunity to obtain a discount on the MPLC Umbrella License,” said Dr. Kathleen O’Loughlin, Executive Director of the ADA. "As technology changes, the waiting area is no longer the domain of magazines alone. Many dentists have chosen to provide audiovisual entertainment in their offices, and it is important to ensure that our members do so in accordance with the law relating to copyrights."

The license, known as an Umbrella License, provides dentists the rights to show a wide array of movies, popular children’s programs, educational documentaries, and other audiovisual content for entertainment purposes in their patient waiting rooms and exam rooms. Movies can be shown from more than 650 Hollywood studios, independent, special interest, children-related, and foreign producers. Once a license is secured, dental practices can rent or purchase movies and play them without the need for any further reporting.

According to the US Copyright Act, Title 17 of the United States Code, copyrighted motion pictures and other programs that are available for rental or purchase, in any legal format, are intended for personal, private use only. Exhibitions outside of the home, such as within a medical or dental office, require a public performance license without regard to whether an admission fee is charged or to whether the exhibitor is a for-profit or not-for-profit organization.

“We are pleased to have the support of the American Dental Association,” said Sal Laudicina, President of the MPLC Licensing Division. “These days movies are everywhere, even in the dentist’s office. Movies and short programs have proven to be a simple and fun way to entertain patients of all ages both in waiting and treatment rooms. The Umbrella License is a convenient and comprehensive copyright compliance solution that provides a wide array of program possibilities for dentists serving a variety of clientele. Once licensed, ADA members gain the peace of mind to show the type of movies and programs children and adults know and love, in accordance with federal law.”