In addition, Facebook will likely flag the use of copyrighted content in a church`s streaming worship service and remove the video from its page. I am not a lawyer either. Just think when a copyright holder puts a video on Youtube, isn`t they implicitly giving someone permission to watch the video? Ibn Church or not. Simply put, you should always have permission from the copyright holder, regardless of the source. CCLI recommends that you always use official sources when reading copyrighted content. I, for one, would hate to see my church`s name posted in the local press, even if a jury ultimately decided it was acceptable. The bills could also be invalid for most churches. I work for a non-denominational church of about 2,000 people. From time to time, pastors ask if they can broadcast a YouTube video before they begin their sermon, as this relates to the topic they will be talking about. My question: Is it allowed without asking permission from the owner of the original video? (We do not webcast – all of our services are live personal only.) Second, fair dealing. Huh.
No one likes to rely on fair dealing, because if they try to sue you, you`ll likely end up in court for a long time, trying to prove that your use was fair. Whether your uses are considered fair depends on the details here. Was their use educational? Was it to criticize the video? Was this the kind of video that people could actually charge churches for a license? And once you`ve answered those questions, it still depends a little bit on the judge deciding the case. Copyright is not just the „right to make copies,” but a whole set of rights that the creator (at least in the United States) receives over the creation. While it was difficult to make copies of a painting or sculpture, today it is easier than ever. Making a copy of a video stored in digital form on servers connected to the Internet is trivial. What for? That is another topic. YouTube itself has language in its terms and conditions that prevents videos from being shown directly from the site in a public performance OR from uploading the video. So, while you can get permission from the copyright owner, technically, you`re breaking the agreement you made with YouTube when you started using their website. The easiest way to avoid copyright infringement is to omit music from the streaming service.
The Church already owns the copyright to its sermons, prayers, and announcements. Let`s take a look at four ways to avoid YouTube copyright infringement for church videos. So, can you show YouTube videos to church as I understand it, yes. When you jump through all the hoops and find the right people to give you permission to do it. Convenient, right? Not very frugal. Should you violate copyright and your agreement with YouTube and continue to do so? I wouldn`t. Are you going to get into trouble for that? Maybe. Maybe not.
Is it worth it? I doubt it. Pirated DVDs and CDs are still prevalent among Christians – at least in my experience. And I don`t like it. I`ve heard a lot of excuses for this – „software is so expensive” or „music companies charge too much for their music,” but the law (and the Bible) is clear that piracy is a no-go zone. As Romans 13 explains, we must submit to the governing authorities, no matter how troublesome that may be. According to their website, there are two situations in which you can download YouTube videos: While it`s always important to abide by copyright laws, there are other streaming platforms that allow you to legally stream your church videos without being blocked by inconsistent copyright algorithms. If possible, ask them to send you a copy of the video. One of the first platforms pastors use to share their church videos is YouTube. At first glance, this seems like a convenient way to connect with a wider audience. Yet many church leaders are surprised when their account is flagged with a YouTube copyright claim for church videos that blocks their content and causes unwanted interruptions.
The exception that applies to the use of copyrighted music performed in a religious service does not apply to continuous worship services. Without a license from the copyright holder, churches are not allowed: Exploring these simple steps can give your church peace of mind that your streaming videos are legal, safe, and reach people who want to engage with your message. But this is not the only right a creator gets. He or she can also determine where their works are exhibited or performed, and whether they are used in a derivative work. Another way to avoid copyright infringement is to sing only songs that are in the public domain and are no longer subject to copyright protection. Songs can be recorded and streamed without permission, helping your church avoid copyright issues. Streaming music from copyright holders that is not included in CCLI reports requires separate permissions. Other copyright exchange centers that offer a church streaming copyright license include OneLicense and Christian Copyright Solutions. Sometimes these videos can be embedded on the publisher`s website with details on how to use them. If the owner`s or publisher`s description allows the use of a video in the church, this would constitute consent. However, if in doubt, contact the publisher or copyright holder for permission before showing the video. As a general rule, CCLI recommends that you do not use YouTube to show other videos without the express permission of the copyright owner.
For example, a charity that writes and asks a church to show the charity`s latest video on YouTube clearly gives permission for the video to be used in this way. Streaming music without permission may result in copyright infringement by YouTube. A strike will block your content until the dispute is resolved, and if you receive three warnings, your account may be disabled and your archived church videos deleted. Even worse, YouTube has copies of your streaming services, so if your church doesn`t have backup copies of those recordings, they`re lost forever. So, is it okay to stream videos from sites like YouTube during your services and activities? While our answer focuses primarily on YouTube, the same principles can be applied to many other websites that offer video streaming. It is important that you do things correctly. If you still have questions, consult an experienced lawyer who will help churches navigate copyright law. Part of it has to do with why this is a complicated issue. YouTube videos are not allowed to be shown at church. If you edit the video, such as by blowing swear words or showing them in conjunction with a live song, you may be creating a derivative work. A church may not broadcast (on the Internet or otherwise) the performance of copyrighted music without a license from the copyright holder.
The easiest way for churches and ministries to obtain permission to show licensed films and television programs otherwise intended for personal and private use is through the CCLI Church`s video license. In this case, the license is deemed to be the consent of the „respective licensor” (see licensed studios/producers). Many thanks to Steve Fogg for pointing out the legal implications of downloading YouTube videos – much appreciated Steve. I apologize for misleading someone with my previous post (now deleted to avoid confusion) – let`s try to submit to our authorities and abide by YouTube`s terms of service. All is not lost! Soon, I`ll be sharing some helpful resources for finding videos for the Church. If you want to make suggestions to start the list – comment! A CCLI streaming license makes it easy to obtain legal permissions to stream more than 400,000 Christian songs and archive an on-demand copy of your stream. They also offer a CCLI Streaming Plus license, which covers master streaming recordings of Christian songs, soundtracks, multitracks, and other audio recordings. It is not convenient, but as the provider of this service, YouTube has the right to set the rules for the use of its service. I thought I`d visit the CCLI (Christian Copyright) website to see what they had to say about churches that use YouTube clips. The only article I could find was from 2008 entitled „Play it safe – Internet Content and Copyright”.
As far as I know, along and short of it – in most cases, it is not legal to download YouTube videos for church, personal use or for other purposes, except for the two scenarios mentioned above. Similarly, I`ve found that if you (for any reason) want to reproduce (e.g., quote) comments against videos, this is also a violation of the Terms of Service. Steve Fogg wrote with the following comment: Song videos that show the lyrics so you can sing them are becoming more and more common on video-sharing platforms. The CCLI Church Copyright License and the Streaming Plus License do not cover the visual element of a song video. Therefore, regardless of the source, we recommend that you get direct permission from the owner before showing a song or text video in the church.