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Are movie subtitles copyrighted?

I am wondering if I can use movie scripts to teach English in a commercial website without getting into legal trouble. I would not be posting visual material, only the text of the dialogues with a few explanations of the grammar and meanings. I would be getting a revenue out of the service.

Public Comments

1. Although I can download subtitles with no apparent copywrite warnings, you really should check with some legal eagle who has knowledge of that area. I personally don't think there's a problem, but if you're using them in a commercial venue there might be problems. Now, if you're using the actual script as it appeared in the movie, you probably would have problems. See a lawyer....money well spent.
2. Movie subtitles are essentially a transcription of the film's script, which is copyrighted by the author and/or producer of the film. Using portions of the script for educational purposes (if you're in the US) would be covered by fair use doctrine and legal. However, since you're a for-profit service and not a public or non-profit school the fair use claim becomes less strong. You'd be very smart to spend a few minutes with an entertainment lawyer to see what's allowable in your situation. An hour with a lawyer will be much less painful and expensive as a trial backed by a movie studio.