Plagiarism, Permissions and Usage
Can I use these illustrations and quotes in my sermons?
Yes, absolutely! That's what we're here for! View the PreachingToday.com End User License Agreement for more details.
Please Note: If you are publishing a sermon for commercial use, you need to seek appropriate permission before using an illustration from us or from any other source. In most cases you may contact PreachingToday.com for permission. However, if you see the phrase "Used by permission," then you will need to seek approval from the original publisher.
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Can I use these illustrations and quotes in articles or papers I write?
If the "Used by permission" phrase does not occur in an illustration, then simply check with us.
If you are writing for publication, you cannot legally use any illustration for which permissions are required by the copyright holder. These illustrations are indicated by the phrase "Used by permission." Since we couldn't publish it legally without permission, it is illegal for anyone else to do so, too. So, when you see "Used by permission" at the bottom of any illustration, contact the original publisher before using it in a publication.
For papers that are intended for private, non-commercial, use, please be careful to observe Federal fair-use copyright regulations and also give credit where credit is due. If there is ever any question about permissions, please contact us or the original publisher for permission. For this reason, we attempt to provide as much bibliographic and source information for each illustration or quote as we can. View the PreachingToday.com End User License Agreement for more details.
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Can I use images from PreachingToday.com in my sermon presentations?
Yes, all of the images provided on PreachingToday.com are usable in your presentations. Check the copyright and source lines provided with each image for information about proper citation. If you are looking for other free images that you cannot find on PreachingToday.com you can find suggested sources and information in, "Searching for Images on the Internet".
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Can I make copies of the sermon outlines and transcripts?
We grant permission for any sermon to be photocopied for use in a local congregation or classroom, provided that no more than 1,000 copies are made, the material is distributed free, and the copies include the notice:
"Copyright (year) (preacher). Reprinted from PreachingToday.com."
The granting of this permission does not include the right to duplicate or transmit Preaching Today audio sermons. For audio use or print rights beyond those described above, advance permission must be obtained from the copyright holder. Please contact the following:
PreachingToday.com
465 Gundersen Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Fax: 630-260-0451
Online Form: click here
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How do I know what sources to cite in my sermons? How do I give proper credit?
Citing sources sounds simple enough, but conscientious preachers run into dilemmas. PreachingToday.com's editor, Craig Brian Larson, has written an article covering the why and when of giving credit. Click here to read the article and find answers to these important questions.
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Can I use any of the content on my church's website?
You can provide as many links to our content as you want without our permission. However, you cannot publish our Preaching Connection e-newsletter, content from our site, or any portion thereof, on your website without our express written permission. View the PreachingToday.com End User License Agreement for more details.
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Can I print the content and file it in my collection?
Yes. PreachingToday.com grants you non-commercial rights to use and file any content you discover in our database. View the PreachingToday.com End User License Agreement for more details.
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Do you have the copyright clearance to post the content on your website? Do I have copyright clearance to include it in my sermons?
You are right to be concerned about copyright violations.
Yes, we do have copyright clearance. In most cases, we purchased from the creator the right to post the content, or in some cases, our excerpt falls under "fair use" provisions of U.S. copyright law (explained below).
Copyright laws protect the integrity of intellectual property, protect the creator's right to control the usage of that property, and protect the creator's right to profit from that property.
U.S. copyright law also recognizes that the Constitution also protects the freedom of speech, so there are important exceptions to copyright protection that allow others to make "fair use" of intellectual material they didn't create. For instance, if you want to satirize somebody, you're allowed to base your satire on the original work. Criticism of a work necessarily means you must refer to the original work in whole, or in part. Nonprofit educational institutions, including churches, typically, get a little more latitude on what can and cannot be done with intellectual property, but if you are sued, the courts ultimately decide.
How do you know whether your use of a sermon, illustration, excerpt, story, or quotation is a permissible "fair use"?
The U.S. Copyright Law provides no definitive answer to this question but rather provides 4 criteria that can be used as a defense against the claim of copyright infringement:
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"The purpose and character of the use ..." Because a sermon is considered an educational use, and is not generally charged for, this factor generally weighs in favor of sermonic use.
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"The nature of the copyrighted work ..." The law particularly frowns upon excerpting highly valuable works, such as music lyrics, unpublished memoirs, images, etc. So preachers should carefully limit their use of any such works.
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"The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole." It is unfair to a copyright creator, and illegal, to use a great deal of the work, or the central part of the work, without obtaining permission for, and paying for, that use. For this reason, we won't distribute (without gaining and paying for written permission) Reader's Digest's "Laugh Lines" or "All in a Day's Work" (or similar material) because any portion we could use would be too substantial a portion of the original.
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"The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work." If people who hear this illustration could thus not have to buy the entire magazine article or book, this would weigh against the use. In most sermons, however, reading a short excerpt from a book does not negatively affect the marketability of the book.
We believe that the content on our website fully meet these criteria, or if they don't, we have contacted the creator/author and obtained permission (and paid) to use their material.
In nearly every conceivable case, members can freely use these content in sermons or teachings without violating copyright. Most inclusions in a no-charge church newsletter would be acceptable. However, if you charge for the material (example: you use the illustrations in a book for which you receive an advance or royalties; or you use them in handouts for a paid-admission seminar), you usually need to contact the original creator for permission.
In a sermon, mention the source of any extended excerpt, and if you put your sermon or teaching in print, always give full citation for any excerpt.
To read more about copyright law, see:
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What rights do I have to use videos and video illustrations in church?
FaithVisuals.com offers answers about the rights that you have for use of videos, video illustrations, and PowerPoint backgrounds in your church. Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on FaithVisuals.com or click here to be brought to that information.
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Who do I need to get permission from to show movies (even short clips) in church?
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) has recently partnered with Motion Picture Licensing Corporation to offer a service especially for churches. Church Video Licensing (CVLI) offers an "umbrella license" for an annual fee, that works a lot like your CCLI license to print or project song lyrics.
You can show authorized titles from MPLC's long list of big name studios (including Sony, Warner Bros., and Disney) and from a growing list of Christian movie producers. This license covers clips in sermons, plus videos shown in classes, youth groups, and events such as family film nights, so long as no admission is charged and the title is not advertised to the general public.
Fees are based on church size. Licenses can be granted over the phone. For more information, contact CVLI at 888-771-2854 (CVLI) or visit their website at www.cvli.org
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