Today with advanced technology at our fingertips and the increased number of peer to peer sharing sites on the internet copyright infringements are happening everywhere. As a civil celebrant one must be extremely careful not to breach any copyright laws.
The good news for celebrants is that there are exemptions that apply to the use of music in public ceremonies. It is acknowledged that traditionally music plays an important role in ceremonial services and so the Public Performance Licenses for playing sound recordings or for the public performance of live music are not required.
Having said this one must however consider the implications of filming a ceremony. If you plan to have a professional record your ceremony for video or DVD I would suggest you check that they have applied for the relevant licenses as the onus is on them to do so. But what if you plan to make a home video or wish to make a photographic slide show of your memories set to music? This is where most people cross the line of copyright infringement. The truth is a license is in fact required so how do you go about obtaining one? There are some great websites that outline what protocol to follow. For clarity on the issue visit the Australian Copyright Council website or the Attorney General's website. They answer a vast number of questions related to the topic and supply further links to the relevant agencies for obtaining licenses.
When it comes to your reception the rules change from those stipulated above for a ceremony. Music and songs performed live by a band and/or singer do not require a license but music and songs that are recorded and played from CD, cassette or LP do. Generally these licenses are already held by the venue but again it does not hurt to enquire just to be sure!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment