Copyright-Checklist for Churches - Information on Question No. 3
Do you create your own song-booklets for your church or a certain church group?
When creating a song booklet for your church congregation, home group, sunday school or youth group you require a licence. This applies regardless whether you print, photocopy or duplicate songs by hand writing. You can get legal coverage for creating your own song books through the Church Copyright Licence (CCL). This is a blanket licence for reproducing songs (lyrics and chords/notation) at church.
Please note: Your church might be paying GEMA fees already. But GEMA does NOT cover the reproduction of song words. GEMA is in charge for performance, broadcast and mechanical rights. (Please see the table below.)
There are different ways of utilizing songs:
Kind-of-Use
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Utilization |
Licensed by |
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- Printing
- Photocopying
- Hand writing
- Storing songs on a computer
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- Public Performance like live concerts or playing music from a CD
- Broadcasts (Radio, television, internet)
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- Reproduction of CDs or DVDs, which contain recorded music.
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