All You Have To Do To Use Copyrighted Materials In Worship
1. Make sure what you're doing is in God's service, (that it fits YOUR definition of worship.)
That's really the only rule.
The next two rules are just extrapolations from the first rule, because God doesn't want you to damage people, and He doesn't want you distracted by commercial profit-making business; He wants you devoted to him.
2. Make sure that you don't substantially damage anyone else or their business.
3. Make sure it's non-commercial and nonprofit.
3. Make sure it's non-commercial and nonprofit.
That's it.
Nobody can successfully sue you for worship use of a copyrighted work as long as you meet the above tests.
And in the highly-unlikely event they did sue you, all the law work to beat the vexatious un-American ligitant is already here for free download.
You don't need a license.
You don't need to pay anyone.
It doesn't matter where you do the worship act.
It doesn't matter whether the copyrighted work is a movie, a song, a recording, a play, a piece of artwork, whatever.
It doesn't matter how many people are there.
It doesn't have to fit the government's definition of worship, because the government doesn't have a definition for worship, or religion.
The worshipper defines what and where is worship.
(That's why the church of Satan is tax-exempt.)
The essence of all that has been said and written on the subject is that- U.S. Supreme Court, YODER V. WISCONSIN and Goldman v. W Weinberger 475 US 503
only those interests of the highest order
and those not otherwise served
can overbalance legitimate claims
to the free exercise of religion.
