Getting to grips with copyright
Copyright is complicated! We hope this booklet, which, whilst not claiming to be a definitive guide, will help you navigate your way through the potential minefield of copyright law and how it affects churches. As many of you will already know, agencies exist, such as the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) and One License (formerly Calamus). These companies offer a variety of licences that cover a range of copyrighted material that is often used by churches.
This booklet sets out to do two things: to take the reader through some of these licences and agencies, explaining how and when each should be used; and to look at a variety of common copyright scenarios that churches may find themselves in – such as using sheet music, showing TV programmes or photocopying from magazines.
Download the booklet
- Getting to grips with copyright (PDF | 3mb)
Useful websites
After downloading and reading our booklet if you have further questions you can contact CCLI, One License or PRS directly via their websites for further assistance
Christian Copyright Licensing International
Enables real-time access to licensed Christian music and media and makes it easier to manage the complex issues related to copyright
One License
Provides a service that makes it easy for churches to obtain reprint permissions of copyrighted music for congregational use from a list of member publishers
PRS for Music
A PRS for Music licence helps you legally use or play music belonging to its members