Copyright And The Church
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August 20, 2007
Most pastors I know think "copyright" means "Your right to
copy." But copyright is a serious business. Here's a good podcast from the
guys at Creative Synergy about churches and copyrights. For all
the people who ask me about the subject, maybe this will help.
I haven't listened to the podcast (sorry, no time for podcasts!) but of course I have an opinion anyway! I hold two opinions concerning copyright: First, as an artist/content creator, I feel I have an absolute moral right to control if, when and how my work is used (including the right to sell that right to someone else.) As a consumer of the content I create, you do NOT have the right to it. Want to use music in your YouTube video? Fine - pay me for mine, or make your own. BUT second, as a Christian, insofar as it is up to me, I want my art to be used for ministry, freely and without restriction, and often give such permission when simply asked. What gets my goat is the growing attitude that creators don't have a right to control their creations - that if you like a song by someone else, you've got some moral right to use it however you want without compensation or even permission.