Clause.

17. Prohibition against carrying on business of renter unless licensed.

18. Returns and records.

Exhibitors' Quota.

19. Provisions as to exhibitors' quota.

20. Prohibition against carrying on business of exhibitor unless licensed.

21. Returns and records.

General.

22. Examination of returns.

23. Proceedings for failure to comply with provisions as to quotas.

24.

25.

Provisions as to licences.

Penalties for failure to make returns and keep record books.

PART IV.

GENERAL.

26. Films to which Act applies.

27. Penalties for misrepresentation.

28.

Power of Board of Trade to make regulations.

29. Advisory committee.

30. Institution of proceedings.

A

BILL

[AS AMENDED BY STANDING COMMITTEE C]

ΤΟ

Restrict blind booking and advance booking of A.D. 1927.
cinematograph films, and to secure the renting
and exhibition of a certain proportion of
British films, and for purposes connected there-
with.

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, 5 as follows:

PART I.

RESTRICTIONS ON BLIND BOOKING AND ADVANCE
BOOKING OF FILMS.

films.

1.-(1) As from the commencement of this Act, Restrictions 10 no agreement shall be entered into to rent or imposing on blind an obligation when called on to rent for public booking of exhibition in Great Britain any film to which this Act applies unless every such film to which the agreement relates has been registered under this Act or a valid 15 application for the registration thereof has been made:

Provided that

(a) this provision shall not apply to a film which
has been exhibited to exhibitors or to the
public before the commencement of this Act;
and

A.D. 1927.

Restrictions

booking.

(b) in the case of a serial film or a series of films within the meaning of this Act, it shall be sufficient if any three parts thereof have been registered or a valid application for the registration of three parts thereof has been made. 5 (2) In the case of a film which has not been previously exhibited to exhibitors or to the public in Great Britain, this section shall not operate so as to prohibit the making prior to the registration or application for registration thereof of an agreement for the exhibition of the film in 10 one theatre only being a theatre in the administrative county of London on a number of consecutive days if at the time of the making of the agreement a copy of the film is in physical existence in Great Britain, or if the film is, or when made will be, a British film. 15

2.-(1) As from the commencement of this Act, no on advance agreement shall be entered into for the exhibition to the public in Great Britain at a date later than the expiration of the authorised period from the date of the agreement of any film to which this Act applies:

Penalty on

contraven

tions.

Provided that in the case of a serial film or a series of films within the meaning of this Act, the authorised period shall apply only in respect of the date of exhibition of the first three parts.

20

(2) For the purposes of this section the authorised 25 period shall

(a) in the case of an agreement made before the first day of October, nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, be twelve months;

(b) in the case of an agreement made on or after 30 the first day of October, nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, and before the first day of October, nineteen hundred and twenty-nine, be nine months;

(c) in the case of an agreement made on or after the 35 first day of October, nineteen hundred and twenty-nine, be six months.

3. If any person enters into an agreement in contravention of this Part of this Act, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine 40 not exceeding one hundred pounds.

4. Any agreement entered into after the twenty- A.D. 1927. fifth day of September, nineteen hundred and twentysix, and before the commencement of this Act which if Provisions entered into after the commencement of this Act would as to existing agree5 be an illegal agreement under the foregoing provisions ments. of this Part of this Act shall, if and so far as it affects any films to which this Act applies to be delivered for public exhibition after the thirtieth day of September, nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, cease to have effect 10 on that day.

PART II.

REGISTRATION OF FILMS.

5.-(1) On and after the first day of January, Prohibition nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, no film to which against 15 this Act applies, or, in the case of a serial film or a series exhibition of of films, no part thereof, shall be exhibited to the unregistered public in Great Britain unless the film or the part thereof exhibited has been registered in accordance with this Part of this Act:

20

25

30

Provided that

(a) a film in respect of which a provisional appli-
cation for registration has been made may,
before registration, be exhibited at a series of
public exhibitions held on consecutive days,
the first of which is a trade show within the
meaning of this Act;

(b) the prohibition contained in this section shall
not apply to a film which has been exhibited
to exhibitors or to the public before the
commencement of this Act.

(2) If any person exhibits a film, or, in the case of a serial film or a series of films, any part thereof, in contravention of this section he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not 35 exceeding twenty pounds for each day on which the film or part has been so exhibited.

films.

6.-(1) The Board of Trade shall keep a register of Registration films to which this Act applies, and shall enter therein of films. such particulars as may be prescribed; and the register 40 shall specify whether the film is registered as a British film or a foreign film:

A.D. 1927.

Inspection of register,

&c.

Provided that a film which has been exhibited to exhibitors or to the public before the commencement of this Act shall not be registered unless the Board of Trade, after consultation with the advisory committee hereinafter mentioned, determine that the registration of 5 the film shall be allowed.

(2) The Board of Trade shall publish weekly in the Board of Trade Journal lists of the films registered in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

(3) An application to register a film shall be made 10 by or on behalf of the maker or renter of the film, and shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee, and by such information as the Board of Trade may require, and in particular, where the application is for the registration of the film as a British film, such information as may 15 be necessary to determine whether the film is a British film.

(4) An application shall not be a valid application unless the film has been trade shown, nor if more than fourteen days have elapsed since it was trade shown: Provided that

20

(a) a provisional application may be made before
a film has been trade shown, and in such case
on the film being trade shown within fourteen
days after the lodging of the provisional 25
application, the provisional application shall
become a valid application;

(b) an application made more than fourteen days
after the film was trade shown may be
accepted by the Board as a valid application 30
if satisfied that the delay was due to special
circumstances and was not intentional.

(5) On the registration of a film, the Board shall issue to the applicant a certificate of registration, and the certificate shall state the length of the film and 35 whether the film is registered as a British film or a foreign film.

7.-(1) The register of films kept under this Act shall at all reasonable times be open to inspection by any person on payment of the prescribed fee, and any person 40 inspecting the register may make copies or extracts from the register.