Church leaders may not realize it, but common practices conducted in worship services and through website updates may put their churches at risk for copyright violations. Fines are assessed by the violation, including attorneys’ fees, meaning a church that violates the copyrights of others could easily face some hefty bills.
Many times these violations aren’t intentional. But fines are levied regardless of whether a violation was intentional or not.
Some common practices of churches that can lead to copyright problems include the following:
- Streaming an entire worship service on the church’s website and/or recording the service and posting it for viewing later on the church’s website;
- Showing clips from movies and television programs during the worship service;
- Importing content from outside sources on to the church’s website;
- Streaming music on the church’s website.
When church leaders learn of these possible violations, they often respond with the following questions:
- “We give credit–is that enough?”
- “What about ‘fair use’?”
However, both questions often are based on common misconceptions about copyright law.
David Middlebrook, an attorney and an Editorial Advisor for Christianity Today’s Church Law & Tax team, examines those misconceptions and provides some helpful first steps for church leaders to take in this free four-minute video on ChurchLawAndTax.com.
To go even deeper on copyright for churches, including intellectual property issues for works created by pastors and worship leaders and copyright compliance in the digital age, check out Richard Hammar’s Essential Guide to Copyright Law for Churches.
