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      The Lutheran Church is the largest Protestant church in the world, with over 70 million members. This website tells the story of Australian and New Zealand Lutherans, following Jesus Christ – where love comes to life. Whoever you are, whatever your story, you're welcome here with us.
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Copyright Guidelines

Copyright Guidelines for Australian Lutheran Congregations and Agencies

 

Download 'Copyright: a guide for Australian* Congregations' web | print

Overview

  • Most congregations and LCA agencies use, reproduce, store and distribute copyright-protected material.
  • Some create material over which they hold copyright.
  • Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) congregations and agencies do not receive any special provisions under the Copyright Act 1968.
  • Each congregation and agency have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure they are using copyright-protected works with permission and are aware of what works over which the agency, congregation or its members could hold copyright.
  • Congregations and agencies should know their copyright obligations. Breaches of the Copyright Act 1968 can cost thousands of dollars.

FAQ

What is copyright? Expand

Copyright protects the creators of works and content from unauthorised use and provides a basis for the creators to commercialise their works.

What is protected by copyright? Expand

Copyright exists in most cases over the following
types of materials:
• Literary works (plays, Bible studies, sermons, commentaries, blog posts)
• Musical works (hymns, songs, cantatas)
• Visual art (photos, clip art, paintings, illustrations, banners, paraments, craft)
• CDs, films, DVDs, videos, broadcasts
• Computer programs.
Many of these materials would be used in most, if not all, LCA agencies and congregations in Australia.

For how long does copyright apply? Expand

Agencies and congregations need to check if copyright has expired on the material they intend to reproduce, distribute or store. An easy rule of thumb: for material made after 1 January 2019 the duration of copyright will be the life of the author plus 70 years. If the work was published before 1955, or its creator died before 1955, then copyright has expired.

Can we use copyright-protected material? Expand

Yes, if permission from the copyright-holder is granted. Congregations can either seek permission directly from the copyright holder – via a phone call and/or email, or they can obtain a licence through an agency. The written permission should be dated and retained. There are many agencies, depending on what type of material is being used. Fees may apply.

What if we don’t know who the copyright-holder is? Or we try to contact them and receive no reply? Can we use the material? Expand

No. You need to have permission before reproducing any works you do not own.

Obtaining permission

Literary works (plays, Bible studies, sermons, commentary, blog posts) Expand

Permission needs to be directly obtained from the publisher of the work; sometimes this is also the author. A fee may apply.

Musical works (hymns, songs, cantatas), including lyrics, music, typeset and recording Expand

Permission must be obtained from the publisher of the work. This can be achieved by contacting the publisher directly or obtaining a licence from one of the following companies:

  • CCLI Australia http://au.ccli.com/ (words and music, plus a licence for playing music outside of a worship context eg fete)
  • The Copyright Agency http://copyright.com.au/ (words)
  • One License https://www.onelicense.net/ (words, music and broadcast licenses)
  • PPCA http://www.ppca.com.au/music-users-/licensing-home/ (playing recorded music outside
    of a worship context). No one licence will likely cover all the music you wish to reproduce or use (generally just the words for data projection). Your congregation may need to obtain several licences to cover your churches favoured songs and hymns.

Backing music for video clips (eg YouTube) must be authorised by the copyright-owner, or purchased from an audio library, eg https://www.audioblocks.com/

Visual art (photos, clip art, paintings, illustrations, paraments, craft, photography) Expand

Permission needs to be obtained from the representing gallery or the artist themselves.

  • Thousands of Australian artists are represented via Copyright Agency https://www.copyright.com.au/licences-permission/visual-art-licences/

Photos and clip art accessed from the internet (via a Google search for example) are not copyright-free unless specifically stated. Photos and clip art to be used for PowerPoint slides, bulletin notes and the like need to be purchased from stock libraries such as:

  • dreamstime (which has some free image sections) https://www.dreamstime.com/
  • iStock http://www.istockphoto.com/au
CDs, films, DVDs, videos, broadcasts Expand

Playing recorded music from a CD or music digital file in a worship context does not require a licence or permission. Playing this music outside of a worship context does. PPCA can provide this licence http://www.ppca.com.au/music-users-/licensing-home/

Permission needs to be obtained from the distributor of a DVD movie or digital file if it is to be played in whole or in part, in or out of the worship context. Contact the distributor or producers directly or obtain a licence from either of these companies:

  • The Big Studio Movie Licence (Heritage films)
    https://church.bsml.com.au/
  • CVLI http://au.ccli.com/what-we-offer/
    church-video-licence/
  • Screenvue https://www.screenvue.com/
YouTube videos and broadcasts Expand

As a church service is deemed to be a public performance, you need to have permission from the content owner (the YouTube clip owner) to use the content (video) in a public setting. YouTube’s intention is for viewing and use of its clips in a private, personal-use setting.

You may be able to obtain the clip and permission directly from the YouTube clip owner (the person who loaded the video up to YouTube) to use the clip either in or out of a worship context.

Computer programs Expand

Use and reproductions of computer programs and apps are covered by the terms and agreement at the time of purchase. Please check the fine print carefully.

Producing copyright material

Your congregation or agency may consider registering for representation with a copyright agency if it is regularly devising, producing and presenting its own copyright material. It is worth protecting your work and perhaps producing an income stream for your local mission work. Contact LCA Communications for more information.

Disclaimer

Copyright legislation is complex, complicated and constantly changing. This document provides guidelines only, as accurate and up to date as we are able to determine. These guidelines do not replace sound legal advice, which should be sought in respect to specific copyright legislation.

Produced by LCA Commission on Worship and LCA Communications; under regular review and revision.

November 2020

*These guidelines may not necessarily apply to New Zealand congregations and agencies. New Zealand congregations and agencies should be familiar with the New Zealand Copyright Act 1994 http://www.copyright.org.nz/

Communications – Copyright Guidelines

lca.comms@lca.org.au
08 8267 7300

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