Disney asks US elementary school for screening fee of The Lion King: parents: You still owe taxes

According to CNN on the 4th, Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley, California, recently received an email asking for screening fees. The company authorized by the requesting party stated that on November 15 last year, Emerson Elementary School held a "Parents Night" fundraising event and screened the 2019 remake of "The Lion King" without authorization, and should pay the film company $250 in screening fees.

"A student's father bought the movie at Best Buy, and we really had no idea that it violated any rules," said David Ross, president of the Parent-Teacher Association, explaining that while the school didn't know how the film company found out, students and parents had to bear the cost.

More than two months after the event, a Disney licensing company sent this email to Emerson Elementary School, notifying them that they had played the movie "The Lion King" without authorization and should pay a screening fee of $250. Any future events held at the school that want to play the movie will incur a fee of $250.

The email made clear the reason for the fee: "Any time a film is shown outside of a home, legal permission is required as it is considered a public screening."

"Any time a film is shown without a license, it is a violation of copyright law, and the entity showing the film may be fined by the film company. If the film is shown for entertainment purposes - even in the classroom, the law requires the school to obtain a public screening license," the licensing company wrote in an email.

Lori Drost, a Berkeley city council member and Emerson School parent, believes that it is unfair for Disney to ask for payment for screenings. "It was not until 1979 that California passed Proposition 13, which required property taxes to be levied on all land. Disney is still paying property taxes at the 1978 rate, which means it is paying millions less each year."

“Our schools are now extremely underfunded because of Proposition 13,” Drost added. “We’ve gone from having one of the best education systems in the country in the 1970s to one of the worst.”

Drost said the school raised $800 in a fundraiser but now has to pay $250 to pay for the movie screening. Parents at the school are angry about the fine, which is a considerable amount for many low-income families. "As long as Disney is willing to reassess their property and pay the back property taxes, we are willing to pay for the movie screening."