copyright church livestream and scripted play or songs - what could be illegal to do and what is legal?
<p>Churches have some leeway with copyrights but many laws still apply to them.
There is <em>Christian Copyright Licencing International</em> (<a href="https://uk.ccli.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CCLI</a>) that helps some with being legal with songs but now with livestreaming things get confusing for us amateurs.</p>
<p>Worse, our church is going to perform a copyrighted play and might livestream that too.  Other times they do livestream song performances and some even post lyrics on screen.</p>
<p>Question:  Is there  a definitive guide to everything for churches?</p>
<p>Is there a definitive guide for livestreaming stage plays done by a church which also includes songs?</p>
<p>Any answers or pointers is appreciated!!<br />
We do want to be legal but this is all too confusing to us.</p>
<p>Also we are small and cannot afford to hire an IP attorney to guide every move.</p>

<h2>Copyright law makes no exceptions for churches</h2>
<p>You cannot perform songs or plays (whether live or streamed) without the permission of the copyright owner. This will usually require the payment of royalties, although the copyright owner can set their own terms.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://disneymusicalsinschools.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Disney</a> allows free performances of abridged musicals by elementary schools using their Disney Musicals in Schools program, but High Schools (and churches) have to pay.</p>

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