Copyright law and toddler groups

Can you sing that song?

I don’t mean can you actually sing, but can you legally use the words, the music and project the song onto the OHP? At Care for the Family I have the responsibility to make sure we comply with all the guidelines. Welcome to the world of copyright.

I’ve often sat in church or at similar gatherings where songs have been sung, music played and DVD clips shown and wondered if the church or group had a licence to do all the lovely things they were doing to make the session interesting. I guess I’m a bit strange! But did you know that your church may need a licence if you are singing in your toddler group, unless you restrict yourself to singing public domain nursery rhymes with no recorded music?

So why is copyright needed?

The following is taken from the Christian Copyright Licensing International Ltd website and tells us why copyright is important and how we may unwittingly be breaking copyright law.

‘Copyright protects the songs we sing, the sound recordings we play, the films we watch, the text and pictures in books and magazines. In fact when using the many resources we rely upon we often unwittingly find ourselves infringing copyright laws put in place to protect the rights of the authors, writers, film producers and composers whose work we wish to use.

Copyright is an intellectual property right given to the creators of original musical, literary and dramatic works.’

Which licence do I need?

Well, that all depends on what you do!

For example, if as part of your Parent & Toddler group you use a nursery rhyme CD for background music you may need a PRS for Music Church Licence, or if you were to reproduce the words for everyone to sing along to The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock you may need a Church Copyright Licence (CCL).

Copyright doesn’t need to be a minefield, but it does need to be thought through. It’s not expensive and using an umbrella organisation takes away all the hassle of applying to individuals to use their work.

Who can we ask for help?

Christian Copyright Licensing International Ltd (CCLI) is like a one stop shop for all things copyright. It gives clear guidelines for why we need particular licences and which one you will need for your group or church. 

Go online to www.ccli.co.uk/churches; this will give you details of all the licences available.  Alternatively, you can call CCLI on (01323) 436103 and speak to one of their customer advisers who will explain which licence best suits your needs.

Helen Payton, Media

Last Updated 06 December 2010