Disney Sends $250 Bill To California PTA Because They Offered a Screening Of “The Lion King” During Fundraiser
Last November, an elementary school in Berkeley, California held a PTA fundraiser where they screened the 2019 live-action remake of Disney’s The Lion King. Imagine the school district’s surprise when last week they received a letter from Disney’s licensing agent (Movie Licensing USA) ordering the school to pay $250 for screening the film without a license.
A local Councilmember took to Twitter on Friday to share her outrage:
Who wants to hear an unbelievable story about how Disney is essentially fining Berkeley’s Emerson Elementary School PTA $250 while reaping millions of dollars through a corporate loophole that has decimated public schools across California? @Schools1stCA @evolve_ca @berkeleyside
— Lori Droste (@loridroste) January 31, 2020
“As I was dropping the kids off at the school this morning the PTA was freaking out over a letter they received from Disney’s licensing demanding money. Mind you, they wanted pretty much what they had raised that evening. $250. For Disney. For a movie to raise money for kids,” wrote Droste.
The event in question was a parent’s night out PTA fundraiser organized by the Dad’s Club and was advertised on Eventbrite. To raise money for the PTA a donation of $15 was suggested. Disney wants to recoup a $250 single-use permit for the school to show the movie.
The PTA fundraiser only earned $800 so now the parents must fork over a third of the cost to Disney. Though a license is legally required to show a copyrighted movie, whether or not this is enforced is at the studio’s discretion. In this instance, it looks like Disney decided to go forward with the process.
As of going to print, news outlets are reporting that the school district hopes to recoup on the loss through donations.
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Can people not read the warnings at the very beginning of the film? Just because it’s a massive corporation does NOT make it okay to steal from them. If they don’t fight this, they risk losing the rights… Don’t be selfish, pay your way like every other school/theater/fundraiser does.