Latest News Flashes!--No.267     CM/FM    12/97
From the IVM

Assignment of Music Copyright Project
Dearest Family,
         We really love you and are so thankful for each of you! We pray that the Lord is continuing to lead, guide and inspire you as you get the message out to your part of the world!
         The Lord has certainly inspired our Family musicians, and is continuing to do so! This LNF addresses some copyright issues which will help us to be good stewards over the musical gems He has entrusted us with.
         Over the past months, we here at the IVM have been working on identifying and legally collecting the copyrights from Family authors. To date, our Family musicians and composers have sent in contracts for the rights to over 350 of our songs. These songs are now part of a central collection of copyrighted materials which our Family company, Aurora Productions, Inc., can administer. Mama and Peter would like to thank all of our authors and composers who have taken part in this project (more formally known as the ASsignment of Rights project, or ASR) of transferring these copyrights to the Family. It has already begun to be a big blessing, and we know that the Lord will continue to reward you.
         We want to use this opportunity to share a bit more background, for those who are interested, about this Assignment of Copyright project, as it is for the benefit of the whole Family. We'll start by sharing parts of a message that was sent to all our Family authors and composers introducing the project:

         (Excerpts from WS message to Family authors and composers:) This is a special message to all of you who've had a part in our Family's music productions, in which we wanted to explain some exciting developments in our musical history! At a series of meetings which took place at the beginning of 1996 regarding GP productions, Peter and Gary and the meeting delegates discussed the mass marketing of our tools, including ways to get them out to a greater number of people more easily, and thus generate more income for the Homes.
         Since that time the Lord has continued to guide, and there are now a couple of pilot projects in the beginning stages. Of course, with all of this added distribution activity comes the extra responsibility of being more up to date on the legal side of our tool production and distribution. In the past, we at WS have been a bit reluctant to go through any process of legalization with regard to Family songs and productions, partly because we haven't wanted to get involved with the many details involved in this, which would sap time and manpower from actually producing the tools. However, now that we are considering mass marketing our tools, we must take certain steps to make sure that everything is in order and complies with international law regarding copyrights, etc.
         As you have probably seen through watching recent world events--such as the copyright trade friction between the U.S. and China--it's obvious that the world is becoming more and more sensitive to copyright issues. In the last year, we've also heard reports of some Family production centers having a difficult time duplicating our tools because of a lack of official paperwork, and wary officials requiring proof that our material is not bootlegged. Although in the past we've been rather informal with the copyrighting of our productions and tools, through this and other events the Lord has been leading us more and more to "have our act together" in the legal world.
         Several months ago, we asked the IVM legal team to study ways in which we, the Family, could protect Family material, handle the legalities involved in distributing a tool via mass marketing, or allow a Family song to be used by System artists--while at the same time sparing the Family the time and expense involved in running a complete legal office. We learned that in order for the Family to "legally" use a song, we need to be sure we have the full permission for each composition we use.
         In the past, people consented to WS using their songs on GP tools when they sent their songs in for evaluation, and so far this has been adequate. However, as times have changed, we need to now get written permission from the authors and composers of our GP releases to guarantee our use of these materials. That way, when we present them for marketing outside of the Family, we have the documentation to show that this material was properly obtained. Otherwise, the Family or those marketing or distributing the tapes run the risk of legal troubles for using improperly copyrighted material.
         Other findings of the team showed that in order to manage and collect royalties from Family songs mass marketed while registered under the individual authors and composers, our Family musicians would each need to become members of national music associations (like ASCAP or SACEM) and register every work and title they produce. This could cost up to $500 per person. Then, whenever these songs are produced around the world, even by our own Family production centers, or distributed by our Family Homes, we would have to pay for the right to use our own music! As you can imagine, if done this way it would create a lot of work and expense both for WS and each Home distributing our tools. So, rather than asking each individual author and composer to join a national music association, the Lord has indicated that we should go the route of having one Family publishing company undertake the responsibility of ownership and management of the Family's songs, and, if the need arises in the future, it could join a national music association as a publisher of Family songs.
         After prayer and counsel, the IVM legal team drafted a formal agreement called "Assignment of Copyright" which we are sending to you, our Family authors and composers, via your CRO offices. If you are in agreement with allowing the Family to undertake the responsibility of ownership and management of your songs, we'd appreciate it if you could please fill out the Assignment of Copyright agreement, which will enable the Family to use your compositions on subsequent tools, as well as act as the owner of the songs. This agreement will also serve as an official Family record of your authorship and will ensure that in the future, when your songs are used, appropriate credit would go to you. As the copyright holder, "Aurora Productions, Inc." would also be responsible to legally protect the copyrights and related rights of your songs.
         In summary, the main purpose of this formal agreement is to:
         a. Protect the copyrights to the songs.
         b. Allow the Family continued use of the compositions without having to pay royalties on them.
         Thank you so much for your help! We love and appreciate you! God bless and continue to make you a blessing to His Heavenly Kingdom! With much love and prayers always, Your WS family. (End of message to authors and composers.)

         In the months since we've initiated this process, our faithful musicians and composers have sent in the contracts for over 350 songs which our Family company can administer. If, for example, your performing group would like to record for public distribution (with WS permission as stipulated by the Charter; see explanation of point 21.I.3.a)) a certain Family song which we've collected the rights for, it is now available upon your request to be legally used by you!
         Another one of the blessings of this new program is the ease with which legal permission for local projects involving Family copyrighted material can be processed. Previously, if someone wanted to make an official tape of Family songs for distribution to the public, they would have had to write each individual Family member for permission to use a song. In addition, they would also have to create the forms and do the research work that goes into the legalization of the copyright and licensing process. Now this can all be administered from the central collection of copyrighted material that we've gathered, saving a lot of time and labor.
         Of course, probably the biggest blessing from the ASR program has been to ensure the security of our music, as by the individuals transferring the copyrights to the Family (via Aurora Productions, Inc.) we're able to ensure that this piece of our musical heritage is preserved for the Family's continued use.
         Under the Assignment of Copyright program, we collected the songs under the auspices of Aurora with the copyright being transferred to them, so that Aurora will get the royalty for the Family's use. The reason for collecting it by Aurora rather than sending it to each individual author is that, when praying about the different plans and considering the possibility of paying authors' royalties, the Lord spoke clearly about the need to keep the Family's economic system pure and free from the System. He also reminded us of the Acts 2:44-45 principle and stressed that we should stay true to that.
         One of the drawbacks to paying royalties on Family songs to the individual author is that the Family would also have to begin paying royalties on Family tapes such as FTTs, Family CM/FM songs and GP videos and tapes, all of which could result in seed costs being raised by an average of $1.20 per video or tape! This would probably be quite difficult for you to absorb. If and when any royalties do come in from non-Family sources, we will channel these royalties back into the Family's music ministries in the form of helping the studios, getting out more tapes to the Family, etc.
         We know that our Family's music ministry is a God-given heritage and we are committed to caring for it properly so that the Family can securely produce and use our Heavenly music to reach many souls for Jesus!


Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family