Copyright

One thing a lot of churches miss the mark on is through Copyright Law. Many churches have the misconception that because they are a non-profit they have permission to do whatever they want when it comes to videos and music and graphics and well – everything. I will be posting about Copyright Law in the future because I believe Churches more than any other institution should go above and beyond when it comes to observing Copyright Law. Until then, here are a few websites that help churches with Copyright Law for lyrics, music, videos, and website usage.

ccli.com - the standard when it comes to blanket licenses for Churches. This license covers display and printing of lyrics and a few other permissions. It does not give the church permission to copy music or burn cd’s.

rehearsal.ccli.com - legally stream and/or distribute MP3′s to your band, praise team and choir with this license.

cvli.com – legally show full length movies and movie clips for youth events, sermon illustrations, and many other video uses in ministry.

streaming.ccli.com - legally stream the music portion of your services online and archive them for future viewing. Covers basically every Christian song you might sing / play – does not cover secular songs. This license is also limited to Church services – so VBS, Youth Concerts, and the like are not covered.

copyrightsolver.com - an alternative to CCLI – if you need to get permission to use something, this company can help you accomplish that. They have blanket licenses and custom packages based on your Churches specific needs and uses. They also have a lot of information about Copyright Law and the Church. Here are several FREE pdf’s that will help to answer almost any question you may have.

copyrightcommunity.com - a very good resource to educate yourself on copyright law, restrictions, fair-use, and much more.

musicservices.org - the site to get permission to use a song for distribution, videos, webcasting, etc. Unlike CCLI – this is a per use basis, not a blanket license.

seeds.churchonthemove.com - a good post from Church On The Move (a large Church in Tulsa, OK) – about the steps they take to ensure they are obeying Copyright Law.