- What is copyright?
- Once I have purchased a script, can I use it as I wish?
- Do I need to purchase performance rights immediately?
- Do schools have to pay performance rights?
- Are Luc Boulanger’s scripts covered by the Copibec agreement?
- Do amateur theatre groups have to pay performance rights?
- Does copyright apply if we only perform an excerpt?
- Can a script be modified?
- Can we keep the script in our archives?
- Can I publish the script or an excerpt?
- Can the scripts be found in bookstores?
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What is copyright?
- Copyright guarantees the protection of literary, dramatic, artistic, and musical works, sound recordings, public performances of a work, and telecommunications. Copyright grants creators the legal right to be remunerated for their works and to control their use.
Once I have purchased a script, can I use it as I wish?
- Purchasing a script from the Animagination website grants you access to the complete work, which you may read individually, in a group, or use for classroom or workshop activities. However, the mere purchase of the script does not authorize public performance. For this, performance rights must be paid.
Do I need to purchase performance rights immediately?
- You may return to the Animagination website at any time to pay for performance rights. It is advisable to do so before the activity takes place; the invoice serves as proof that you hold the performance rights. That said, it is never too late to pay the rights and thus regularize your situation.
Do schools have to pay performance rights?
- If the script is performed in class or before an audience consisting exclusively of students, schools are not required to pay performance rights. However, for performances where parents and friends are invited, performance rights apply.
- Please note that schools in Quebec benefit from an agreement between the AQAD (Association québécoise des auteurs et autrices dramatiques) and the MEQ (Ministry of Education) which covers performance rights for an audience of parents and friends. A form must then be completed on the AQAD website.
Are Luc Boulanger’s scripts covered by the Copibec agreement?
- Since 2022, theatre scripts written by Luc Boulanger have been covered by the Copibec agreement. This means that only primary and secondary schools in Quebec can order the scripts and receive them free of charge. To do so, you must write directly by email to the author and complete a few simple formalities. Please note that amateur theatre groups are not included in this agreement with the Ministry of Education, nor are schools outside the province. The teacher wishing to make this request must have an official email address from a school service center, for example: tremblay.ginette@csdrt.qc.ca.
Do amateur theatre groups have to pay performance rights?
- Everyone must pay copyright fees. Amateur theatre groups are not exempt, nor are non-profit organizations. Even if the performance is presented free of charge, performance rights must be paid.
Does copyright apply if we only perform an excerpt?
- Plays must be presented in their entirety. Authorization from the author is required to present an excerpt, and copyright definitely applies.
Can a script be modified?
- You must respect the integrity of the script. However, you do not need authorization for the following modifications: changing a place name, transforming a female character into a male (or vice versa), changing an expression that is not common in the location where the play is presented. As soon as you completely alter a line, you must contact the author.
Can we keep the script in our archives?
- There is no problem keeping the script in your archives. However, if it is presented again, performance rights must be paid.
Can I publish the script or an excerpt?
- For all publications, in any form whatsoever, the author or their representatives must be contacted.
Can the scripts be found in bookstores?
- The scripts are only available on the Animagination website.