Luke 19:40

If you are found in violation of the Copyright Act of 1976, you will be subject to substantial penalties anywhere from $500 to $200,000 per violation.

I just thought I would throw that out there to begin with because everyone is subject to the restrictions laid out in this act. Churches are no exception, and this is important because more and more churches are beginning to use media. However, there is an old lesson to relearn as well.

First the old lesson. I call it an old lesson because it is something that we should already be aware of. We just need to apply them to our media rich worship services. Most churches are familiar with the CCLI license (Church Copyright Licensing International). Royalties are paid through the fees collected for the license. They handle the work for you. You just have to follow some rules. I won’t go into all of them, but one in particular that is applicable to this discussion.

Churches have used transparencies for many years to display the words to hymns or choruses for the congregation. What you should have seen on those transparencies was the copyright information and their CCLI number. The same thing applies to Microsoft PowerPoint, SongShow Plus, Sunday Plus or any other worship software. You must include the copyright information and your CCLI number.

Words and music by John Doe
©2000 Good Music Co.
CCLI License #000000

Now the new lessons. Similar to the CCLI license is the CVLI license (Church Video Licensing International). This license lets you use video clips to illustrate sermons, etc… provided the copyright holders are included under the CCLI license you hold. There is no limit to the length of the video you can show.

There are a 3 license packages, and the price for these is determined by the size of your church. The Family Values Producer package is a smaller group of about 55 producers. The Total Producer Package includes about 90 producers. And then there is another package for non-church ministry organizations.

With this license, you cannot edit the video clip at all. Nor can you use clips that have been edited even if they came from a legitimate source. There are companies that edit movies and sell them as “clean”.

Also with this license, you cannot copy the movie clips from their original media. You cannot show a clip outside of your facility. The license is facility based. You cannot record video from the television. And you cannot charge admission for video showing where the title has been advertised.

What if we record our services? The answer to this is more complicated than the question implies. There are other things to consider. Do you record just the Pastor’s message? Just the musical worship? Do you sell the services? However, here are some answers that may help you.

You cannot include movie clips in your recorded service.

If you record your music service, you can only record live performances. You cannot record accompaniment tracks.

If you followed the rules, you can sell the recordings. However, there is a maximum you can charge and a maximum number you can sell. The quantity should not exceed 15% of the maximum number or your church size category. You will have to refer to the CCLI website for these size categories, but I will give you an example. Category E is a church whose member number falls in the range 1,000 to 1,499. As I figure it, their sales cannot exceed 224 copies. The charge for these copies cannot exceed $4.00 each for audio tapes and CDs and $12.00 each for videos.

What I have here is brief. I could write a book about church licensing, but I won’t because there is already one that I have found, “The Church Guide to Copyright Law”. If you want to make sure you are compliant, you can take advantage of the services offered by various consultants. One that I have found is Church Copyright Administration Services. They offer a la carte services that range from a per project basis to onsite training.

As churches are coming under more and more scrutiny, it is very important that we are found without blemish under the law. Not only can it affect your worship, it will give a foothold to those who oppose us.