Union involved in illegal DVD rental
The Oxford Union has been illegally lending DVDs intended for private use. The Oxford Student has discovered that the library contained a significant number of DVDs which were not intended for rental. Some clearly display a ‘not for rental’ sign on the cover. Union President David Powell admitted that they had been lending DVDs illegally but that the Union committee were unaware that the discs were for retail purposes only.
He said, “I’m not saying we haven’t broken the law as I don’t know where the responsibility for checking the discs lies. “Every time we placed an order we made it clear that we only wanted DVDs that were for rental purposes. We wrote that on every order form and emphasized it at every opportunity. We had the DVDs in good faith, but it seems they were supplied to us in error.
Powell claimed that Su Lockley, the library’s permanent librarian, had only found five copies which infringed the law. Lockley said that it had always been the Union’s policy to purchase rental copies. She told The Oxford Student, “We always buy them from a distributor as you have to stay within the rental law.” The Union library was introduced a year ago under the authority of librarian Vladimir Bermant. It charges members £1.50 per DVD for a three-day loan.
It also charges a daily £1 fine for late returns. A spokeswoman from the British Video Association confirmed that the Union were in breach of the 1988 Copyright Design and Patents Act. She said, “If it is true that the private members’ club did not buy these DVDs from a licensed distributor then it is absolutely breach of copyright law.” She added that the law was created to protect the film industry.
“Charging members for the hire of non-rental companies means that their profits will go straight into their pockets, rather than into developing new talent in the field.” Over a year, the library collection has grown from 100 DVDs to around 500. DVD libraries have also been set up in many college JCRs across the University, providing their members with rentals. The British Video Association said that these DVD rentals are within the law as they are not for profit.
Unlike JCR DVD libraries, the 10 to 20 discs added each week to the Union collection are financed by Union members through a system of loans and fines. Powell said that the Union has removed from the Library the small number of DVDs which contravene copyright legislation. He said, “The union is always very careful to stay within the law.”
11th May 2006