Copyright

Churches are not exempt from copyright laws. We sometimes tend to think that because are a non-profit, it might be ok to bend the rules. It's not! Copyright laws are there to protect the rights of creators of content and to give credit where credit is due. We, especially as the Church, need to make sure we always follow copyright best practices and honor the work of others.

IMAGES

There are many great resources for copyright free images. In our Resources area, there are many copyright-free image resources available for your use. There are also paid services where you can purchase photos and images for your use.

CONTENT

Text, images, music, videos, etc. that you find online are not free game for the taking. Someone put time and effort into making material available for consumption online. You cannot simply copy content and paste it on your website. You can quote material and cite the source, or you can add a link to the original source for more information. This is a great way to give credit where credit is due and is a best practice for web content.

MUSIC LICENSING

  • Onelicense.net: One License allows churches and worshiping communities to obtain reprint permissions of copyrighted music for use from member publishers.

  • CCLI "covers storing lyrics, printing songs, recording services, making custom arrangements, and more. A CCLI license enables you to enjoy the right to reproduce creative product in many forms; be it digital, print or recorded content available from more than 3,000 publishers and song owners. A CCLI license permits the fair and legal use to copy and distribute content and media—to include within printed bulletins, to share in song (or movie clips), and even to deliver later as recorded or streaming services where applicable."

COPYRIGHT GUIDELINES FOR CHURCHES

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