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Church Licensing

The Copyright Law of The United States can be complicated, but one part that is easy to interpret deals with music and videos:

• without express permission from the rightful owner of a song, it is illegal to project, or print for distribution, lyrics of that song.
• without express permission from the copyright holder, it is illegal to post his/her music in any format to a church website or social media account.
• without express permission from the copyright holder, it is illegal to show in public any motion picture or audiovisual program.

CCLI Music Lyric License & CVLI Movie License Overviews

To assist East Ohio Conference churches and faith communities in being copyright compliant, the Conference has negotiated a group rate through both Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) and Church Video Licensing International (CVLI).

• Every EOC church or faith community has its own CCLI license #, which allows projection or printing of lyrics for distribution only for songs that are included in the CCLI catalog.
• Every EOC church or faith community shares a common CVLI license #, which allows showing – within the church walls only – of only movies that are produced by companies included in the CVLI library.

If you have questions about your church license #, or need the pin # to access CVLI ScreenVue videos, please e-mail Brenda Vaccaro in the Communications office or call her at (800) 831-3972 ext. 153.

Streaming and Podcasting License for Putting Music on the Internet

NOTE: The EOC-provided CCLI license does NOT enable churches/faith communities to legally livestream or record/post music to the internet.

Because music on the internet extends beyond the walls of the church building, livestreaming/posting music to the church website or social media channels IS NOT covered by the religious services performance exemption written into the U.S. Copyright law.

To legally livestream/post music of any kind to its website and/or social media channels, a church/faith community MUST:

• purchase its own Streaming and Podcasting license.
• stream/post only music from the catalog of the company from which it purchased the license.
• be sure to check that it has copyright permission to livestream/post every piece of music in the service.
• This includes prelude, postlude, offertory music, special music, bell choir music, hymn, anthem, etc.

There is not one individual license that covers preludes/postludes and hymns/anthems. So, churches livestreaming/posting entire worship services will need to buy a Streaming and Podcasting license from multiple companies. For Annual Conference worship services, the Conference has purchased a Streaming and Podcasting license from each of these companies:

• CCLI Streaming and Podcasting License
• 20% discount being offered to EOC churches/faith communities that purchase the license by calling customer service at (800) 234-2446.
• One License Streaming and Podcasting License

NOTE: Copyright law prohibits livestreaming/posting pre-recorded instrumental or vocal backing tracks.

CCLI License for Projecting/Printing Lyrics

The Christian Copyright Licensing International CCLI license makes it possible for churches/faith communities to legally project or print for distribution lyrics of songs that are included in the CCLI catalog.

Checking for Copyright Permission
It is the responsibility of each church/faith community to be sure that a song is included in the CCLI catalog before lyrics of the song are projected or printed for distribution. Do this by:

• visiting www.us.ccli.com,
• clicking on What We Provide in the banner,
• clicking on Song Search in the dropdown menu, and
• typing the name of the song into the search bar.

NOTE: Song Select is not part of the EOC-provided CCLI license. Churches wishing to purchase the premium Song Select add-on directly from CCLI will need to e-mail Brenda Vaccaro in the Communications office or call her at (800) 831-3972 ext. 153 to get the EOC pin number needed to make the purchase.

Posting Copyright Permission
To comply with the terms of U.S. Copyright law and the CCLI agreement, churches must display the copyright information of the song as the lyrics are being projected – either at the beginning or end of the song’s music or while the lyrics are being projected. For instance:

“10,000 Reasons”
Jonas Martin, Matt Redman
© 2011 Said and Done Music
(Administration by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
Used by Permission. CCLI License # ______ (insert license # of your church)

Using Songs from The United Methodist Hymnal or Faith We Sing
The same process detailed above must be followed for projecting/printing lyrics of songs in The United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing unless:

• the song is copyrighted by The United Methodist Publishing House,
• the song is copyrighted by Abingdon Press, or
• both the words AND music of the song are in the public domain, meaning copyrighted prior to 1926.

CVLI Movie/Movie Clip License

The Church Video Licensing International CVLI license permits showing – within the church walls only – only those movies that are produced by companies included in the CVLI library.
To comply with the terms of the CVLI agreement, “No specific titles, or any characters from such titles, or producers’ names will be advertised or publicized to the general public unless authorized by certain producers. No admission or other fee will be charged to the audience.”

This means that churches:

• CAN advertise the title of the movie where only church members can see it:
• in bulletins handed out in church
• on signs on interior church walls
• in newsletters mailed to members
• in private or closed groups on social media
• CANNOT advertise the title of the movie where the public can see it:
• on exterior church walls or signs
• on the church website
• in newsletters or bulletins that are posted on the church website
• on social media accounts that are open to the public

Checking for Copyright Permission
It is the responsibility of each church/faith community to be sure that a movie is included in the CVLI catalog before it can be legally shown. Do this by:

• visiting www.cvli.com.
• clicking on the Producers tab.
• selecting Total Package in the dropdown menu.

If the producer of the movie you wish to show is included in the list of producers, you can legally show the movie.

If the producer of the movie you wish to show is not included in the list of producers, you must contact the producer to receive written permission to show the movie.

Getting Copyright Permission to Show Movies Outdoors
The EOC-provided CVLI does not allow for movies to be shown outside the walls of the church. Only three companies provide copyright licenses for showing movies outdoors. They are:

• Swank
• Fun Flicks
• Twilight Zone Cinema

Using Movie Clips Legally for Sermon Illustrations
The EOC-provided CVLI license includes free access to ScreenVue, where movie trailers, and thematic clips can be downloaded for use in sermons, Sunday school classes, and small group meetings. To download these trailers/clips, please e-mail Brenda Vaccaro in the Communications office or call her at (800) 831-3972 ext. 153 to get the needed EOC pin number.

Image Copyrights

Don't forget about image copyrights. Doing a Google image search and downloading the first image you see may not be legal. Make sure you own or have a license to use the image.

These websites offer free, or low cost, downloadable images for use on church websites or in sermon graphics. You’ll also find helpful information in the Breaking the chains of clipart article from United Methodist Communications.