Copyright Community

Webinar Recap - How to Legally Create CDs and DVDs

Thanks to all who attended today's webinar on legal creation of CDs and DVDs.  You can download a copy of of the presentation with notes pages here.  You might also want to review the article about rehearsal tracks. Check out our wizard for estimating CD royalties. Also download our white paper on planning and estimating royalties and read our article about making and using rehearsal tracks legally.

If you missed the webinar, you can register for a repeat session on March 4th.  Register to save your spot here.

Also, be sure to join us for our next webinar, "The Top 5 Myths of Performance Rights", which will be held February 18th. Sign up for here.

We will be posted the video recording of the webinar shortly.

Webinar Archive: Copyright Planning for Easter

Thanks to all who attended last Thursday's webinar, "Copyright Planning for Easter."  Here is a recorded version of the presentation. (Excuse the frame being slightly off. This was our first run at recording a webinar.)

You can also download  download a PDF of the webinar here.

As promised in the Q&A session, here is the white paper on Planning and Estimating Royalties.

Christian Copyright Webinar Schedule

Come check out these FREE webinars on copyright issues that effect the Christian community. You can always get the latest schedule of webinars at CopyrightSolver.com.

Copyright Planning for Easter

January 21 at 2:00 CST

Get ahead of the game and start your copyright planning for Easter now. Come join the CCS staff for an overview of the copyright issues that you need to keep in mind to keep your Easter activities copyright compliant. Bring your questions to our Q&A session following the presentation.

How to Legally Create CDs and DVDs

Two Sessions: February 4th at 2:00 & March 4th at 2:00 CST

Churches and ministries have become prolific producers of CDs and DVDs. Some of them even do it legally. Register today for this free presentation to learn how you can create your physical media while honoring copyrights. As always, we will follow the presentation with a Q&A session, so come prepared with your toughest copyright questions.

Top 5 Myths About Performance Rights

Two Sessions: February 18th at 2:00 & March 18th at 2:00 CST

Churches are using plenty of music outside of on-site religious services. Whether this music is played at a picnic, used in on-hold music or streamed online, you need a performance license to do so legally. Come join CCS for an exploration of the common misunderstandings about performance licenses and ensure that your church stays copyright compliant.

If there are any other topics that you would like to see covered let us know here.

Twitter Question: Copyright and Webcasting Video and Worship Music

"@CopyrightSolver How do we obtain copyright use 2 place on web a vid used n sermon?Is thr something we need? How abt music from worship time?" 

Many churches are using video in their services and there are questions about the webcasting of these videos. First things first. Before you can start thinking about webcasting, you need to be certain that you have permission to use the video in question in your service.    You can be safe be using videos from the CVLI catalog or specialty providers like SermonSpice. It is important to note that these licenses rarely include internet broadcasting rights (in the case of CVLI and SermonSpice they don't.) There is not currently a comprehensive source for internet licensed video, so you will most likely need to contact each video's owner individually. CCS offers a service called PERMISSIONSplus that outsources the acquisition of these and other copyright licenses.

Vimeo In EMI's Crosshairs

Apparently Vimeo has gotten EMI's attention:

"Three EMI Music labels have sued video Web site Vimeo for copyright infringement. Vimeo allows users to upload their own videos in a manner similar to YouTube. The suit, filed by Capitol, Caroline, and Virgin Records, said that many of these user-generated videos include their music without permission.

"The lawsuit is about a commercial, for-profit venture that has built a business by reproducing, adapting, performing, and distributing works that it knows contain plaintiff's copyrighted recordings, and then knowingly profiting from the draw created by making these  works available for free to millions of its users," according to the suit, which was posted by NewTeeVee."

Keep in mind that permission is needed to use copyrighted music on your web content, whether it is hosted on your site or on a third party site like Vimeo. Getting permission to webcast or stream your performances of copyrighted music on your website is pretty simple. All you need is a WORSHIPcast license, which provides churches and ministries with internet performance rights for over 16 million songs, both Christian and secular. Using original recordings of copyrighted songs is more difficult and you will need to contact each recording's owner to secure these rights.

As the article indicates, the consequences of failing to get permission can be severe:

"Capitol, Caroline, and Virgin are suing for five counts of copyright infringement as well as unfair competition. They are asking for up to $150,000 per violation, injunctive relief, and any other damages the court finds appropriate."

Willow Creek church wins free WORSHIPcast license

In the midst of the busy Christmas season for churches, we were thrilled to have a great turn-out for last week’s webinar: “Using your Website for Outreach at Christmas.” We were especially excited about giving away a free annual WORSHIPcast License—the only comprehensive church internet performance license—to one of our webinar participants.

(You can download a PDF of the webinar presentation here) 

Zach Montroy was not only excited, but somewhat shocked on Monday (Dec. 7) when we called to tell him that his church would be receiving the free WORSHIPcast License for 12 months. Zach is the Pastor of Arts and Communications at Ginger Creek Community Church in Aurora, IL. Zach and Melissa Kohler, Communications Specialist both attended the webinar, and it was Melissa’s name that was pulled from the hat.

Ginger Creek also utilizes the PERFORMmusic License to legally play and perform up to 16 million songs outside their religious services. Here’s a little information about Zach and Ginger Creek Community Church, a Willow Creek Association member.