Schedule set for garage cinema in Jamaica Plain

It can be done until someone ruins it for everyone.

For all I know, it doesn't amount to too much.

I think I've also heard of this sort of thing being done with no advance notice of *what* will be playing; apparently that circumvents some of the restrictions. But whether or not that's true, it wouldn't seem to apply here.

Or, like the other commenter said, no one has snitched.

and stop trying to ruin a fun neighborly event.

I'm pretty sure the studios who own the rights to these movies will be able to keep their heads above water even though somebody is projecting them onto their garage. This post is giving me heavy MPAA vibes. Come on, man.

What I hate about copyright law is that much of it is deliberately vague and its application can be arbitrary. I deal with fair use questions all the damn time and the difference between a good copyright lawyer and a bad copyright lawyer is that the good lawyer knows that the answer to most of my questions is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

So, here's my best shot at this, from Title 17 § 101 and it could be entirely wrong:

The right to unlicensed viewing in a private residence (a garage or backyard counts) has more protections than other possible video/audio venues (schools, churches, nightclubs, etc). It's not unlimited, but the guidelines are mushy-- to wit, legally purchased or streamed copyrighted works may be shown without a separate license in the home to “a normal circle of family and its social acquaintances." What does that mean? Who knows. Does that mean "folks from my neighborhood who happen to hear about our get together?" It could mean that; the number is limited by the size of the garage, and no cover charge or ticket is required. And the law does not even provide an absolute upper-limit cap on the number of guests, just a "normal circle." Location and lack of profit is key, here-- if the same event were held at Spontaneous Celebrations or at the Haven, it would be a clear copyright violation. Ditto if a $1 door charge was applied.

My guess is that this is just straddling the fence. Adam, it might be a good idea to take this post down, just so Matt does not run afoul of the "normal circle...of social acquaintances" section.