Most churches who regularly print words on service sheets, overhead projector acetates, or make up their own song books, will have purchased such a licence. All churches who reproduce words on any occasion, should be licenced. It has not been legally possible to reproduce the music from the same publications.
Many churches do photocopy music for music groups, choirs etc, but have been doing so illegally.
On 1 April 1998, CCL launched the Music Reproduction Licence , which will give permission to churches to photocopy tens of thousands of hymns and worship songs in copyright, which are intended for congregational use, from hundreds of books in copyright. A church with an aggregate congregation at its main service of 5 0-99 wishing to include photocopying of words and music covered by the licence would be paying an annual fee of 80 for the CCL licence plus 40 for the Music Reproduction Licence.