james
04-20-2006, 01:53 PM
Okay, we admit the topic title is a bit strong, but at least it convinced you to continue reading. To our knowledge, no pastor has been sent to jail because of overhead copyright violations, but churches have been sued over illegal use of overheads and copyrighted materials. The penalty is usually over $5,000. There is also the question of ethics. What kind of church knowingly steals other people's work and uses it in worship services. So you might be asking, "men and brethren, what should we do?"
There is an answer. Christian Copyright Licensing International offers licenses at very reasonable annual fees that give your church permission to legally use and show over 150,000 copyrighted songs. A church with less than 100 people costs around $100/year. Less than 200 people is around $170/year. Less than 1,000 people is around $300/year. Visit their website for more information.
http://www.ccli.com
By the way, we are not affiliated in any way with CCLI, and we receive no compensation for these comments. We are doing this because we are opinionated, and this is a good idea.
There is an answer. Christian Copyright Licensing International offers licenses at very reasonable annual fees that give your church permission to legally use and show over 150,000 copyrighted songs. A church with less than 100 people costs around $100/year. Less than 200 people is around $170/year. Less than 1,000 people is around $300/year. Visit their website for more information.
http://www.ccli.com
By the way, we are not affiliated in any way with CCLI, and we receive no compensation for these comments. We are doing this because we are opinionated, and this is a good idea.