The Church. The Super Bowl. And Copyright.
Did you see the most recent article in the Washington Post about churches hosting Super Bowl parties? Many churches plan Super Bowl parties as a community event and/or as an event to invite new people to the church. They have found these parties are widely successful in bringing people together. Well, many are surprised or didn’t even consider that the NFL expects churches to pay attention to the notice that appears at the end of each game, "This telecast is copyrighted by the NFL for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this telecast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the NFL's consent is prohibited."
The NFL is serious and is letting churches know that this is not legal. Churches are receiving letters from the NFL telling them that they are in violation of the copyright law. Now, they have to scrap their parties or quickly come up with a new plan. My guess is that many of you, the arts leaders and artists aren’t responsible for the Super Bowl party at your church. Maybe you are like me. Most years I am not truly interested in the game. I go get food during the game. But when the commercials come on and the half-time show starts I am in my seat & paying attention. I was intrigued with the Post article because it brought up the issue of the church’s engagement, understanding and compliance with copyright. When I talk to leaders these days I hear a wide variety of views about how their church approaches copyright laws. I meet a few churches who are on top of the law and are to the best of their knowledge complying. I think most churches are challenged to be informed and be in compliance on top of all their other responsibilities. And unfortunately some have just decided for whatever reason they aren’t going to engage. I am wondering where you are all at. On a scale of 1 to 10 how informed are you about the church and copyright law. On a scale of 1 to 10 is your church engaged. Are you complying with the law? Some of the laws? Do you subscribe to the philosophy “Do it now and ask forgiveness later?” Are you making copies of music, CDs or charts, without getting permission and paying for royalties? Are you securing permission to use movie clips during the service? Are you using trademarked titles or art for series or services? For example, I know many people use the title and art from game shows or reality shows. Did you know that we can’t use their art and we can’t use their trademarked title? For those of you who are engaged how do you do it? Do you have a volunteer or staff person just devoted to this task? Does each artist, worship leader, music director, or media person take care of their own copyright issues? I would love to start a discussion and see if we can help each other and honor God with how we do this portion of our ministry.