Important Information About Use of Copyrighted Works
Over the past few weeks, the Conference staff has been inspired by the faithful and creative responses to the COVID-19 crisis by so many clergy and lay leaders. Congregations throughout the Conference have quickly developed alternative, virtual spaces for folks to connect, provide community care, continue the work of faith formation for all ages, and gather for community worship and prayer.
As congregations have been shifting worship and other congregational gatherings to virtual spaces, several folks have asked Conference staff about specific copyright issues related to webcasting or broadcasting. Following are a few key guidelines:
- You may not webcast (YouTube, Facebook Live, or other internet platform) music, poems, children’s books, excerpts from children’s story bibles, or other artistic content without obtaining permission from the publisher or the artist.
- Many congregations have a music reprint license through CCLI or OneLicense.net. This license does not allow congregations to stream or broadcast music. Congregations will need to obtain an additional music streaming license for these purposes.
For more comprehensive information, please review the following article from the national setting of the UCC.
Contact Rev. Kevin Brown or Rev. Anita Bradshaw with any questions.