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Protecting Your Song

By Paul Herman, CCLI

You just finished writing your new worship song…now what?

Your brand new worship song is now complete. It expresses everything that was in your heart to say. Now you’re ready to share it with the world…or perhaps first with your worship team at church, and then see where it goes from there.

Somewhere along the line, you may have heard something about copyright protection and/or CCLI, but you may not have any idea what’s involved, or where to start. Well, read on because this article is for you.  

What is Copyright?
The easiest way to explain copyright is to take the word at face value; copyright simply means “the right to copy.” The Federal Copyright Law has granted the owner (in this case, you) of a creative work (in this case, your new worship song) with specific rights, including the following:

Print Rights. No one but you has the right to print, reprint or copy your song.
Distribution Rights. No one but you has the right to sell or distribute copies of your song.
Derivative Rights. No one but you has the right to arrange, change the lyrics or otherwise revise your song.
Recording Rights. No one but you has the right to record your song.

Of course you are free to grant permission to allow any of the above copying activities to anyone you choose. But the decision is yours to make.

(There are two other rights granted to owners of creative works: display rights and performance rights. Churches, however, have a religious exemption built into the copyright law concerning these two areas, provided they have not violated any of the rights mentioned above.)

So, how do you get copyright protection for your song? That’s the easy part. If your song is in any written form (lead sheet, chord chart, or just lyrics) or if it is recorded (even if it’s just a rough demo) it is considered “a tangible medium of expression,” and it automatically has copyright protection. You don’t even need the “circle-C” © copyright notice anymore.

Maybe you’ve heard about the “just-mail-it-to-yourself-by-certified-mail” technique. Don’t bother: it’s just a myth, and it provides you with little or no extra benefit. ?The purpose would be to establish evidence regarding the date of authorship, however, some courts have given very little credibility to this practice, contending that the owner could have opened the envelope, replaced contents, and resealed it. The better way to establish date of authorship is to register your song with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Why Register With The Copyright Office?
What’s the advantage of registering your song with the U.S. Copyright Office if it already has copyright protection? The biggest advantage is that Section 504(c) of the Copyright Act allows a copyright owner of a registered creative work to receive “statutory damages” from an infringer instead of actual damages, which are often difficult to prove.

The easiest way to obtain forms and to receive instructions about the process is to visit the Copyright Office website at www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/. For your new song, you’ll need Form PA. If you’ve recorded the song, and you also want to protect the recording, you’ll also need Form SR.  

Who Is CCLI?
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is an organization that provides revenue in the form of royalty payments to song owners, based on the amount of copying activity for each song that churches select to include in their congregational singing. Over 150,000 churches across North America pay an annual fee for a Church Copyright License, which allows them to copy from over 200,000 worship songs.

The easiest way to register your song with CCLI is to call 1-800-234-2446 and press ‘5’ for the Copyright Department. To register as a song owner with CCLI, an initial setup fee of $50 is required. From there, however, you may register as many songs as you like, free of charge.

Here at CCLI, we are finding that the worship songs born and developed within the church are the ones that resonate most with congregations across the country. So we are privileged to support you, the songwriter, and we are excited to hear the next generation of worship songs. May God bless you in all your songwriting efforts.


Paul Herman is the Marketing Manager for Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), based in Portland, Oregon.

Comments

Aimee

from

My computer

says:

Thanks so much! I just finished writing a song but I still have to put music to it! Thanks!

flag as inappropriate

charles wyke

from

newton nc

says:

wychr5@charter.net this artical was a great help.

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Suggest a Song

Suggest a song to add to our website.
Song:

Psalm 40:1-6

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.    
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

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