Copyright Compliance in Our Churches

When we share creative works in our churches whether we are singing worship songs, photocopying music sheets for musicians, projecting internet videos, or displaying photos.

We are engaging with intellectual property. This also applies to special community events, such as holding a movie night. Because every creative work is legally protected by copyright, we must secure proper permission from the creator or utilize licensing organisations to ensure we are covered.

Why Personal Rules Do Not Apply There is a major legal distinction between using media at home and using it at church:

Home Use: Considered private and personal. 
Church Use: Churches are legally classified as "public places". Because church activities are public, playing a piece of music, showing a video clip, or displaying an image counts as a public performance or exhibition rather than simple personal use.

Moving Forward Safely: To keep our services and ministries legally compliant, we must arrange specific group licences designed for religious organisations. These licences protect the creators who write and produce these resources while allowing us to worship freely and legally.