Frequently Asked Questions
Feb 09, 2022|
Here you will find a list of commonly asked questions regarding the NC General Public License and the use of the materials found on this site.
THE QUESTIONS 1. What is a General Public License?
THE ANSWERS The concept is similar to Public Domain, which allows the general public to freely use a work (song, book, video, etc.). The difference is this. A work that is in the Public Domain can be slightly changed and then copyrighted to a new author. A GPL, however, allows the same free public use of a work but restricts third parties from making slight changes and then obtaining a copyright for their slightly changed work. Simply put, a GPL keeps free works even freer!
Are General Public Licenses Legal? YES! The first widely used GPL was created to protect the code for the now popular software Linux (GNU GPL). Several well-known, major computer companies exclusively install Linux software on the networks they sell. Because this software is free and yet protected from theft, programmers from all over the world pooled their intellectual resources to create something the general public (including you) owns. Since the creation of the NC GPL other major Free Use or Copyleft licenses have been created and used by Wikipedia and Creative Commons. The authors of the NC General Public License wanted to create a GPL that allowed the free use of songs and safeguarded them from being slightly changed, copyrighted and then restricted. The term ‘work’ was used instead of song allowing this license to cover other creative works such as books, videos, art, graphics, pictures, etc. Until 1998 the author of this License released his songs into the Public Domain based on his desire to give away his alabaster box of worship. Although there were significant drawbacks to doing this, it seemed to be the only way possible to give the general public free access to his songs. In 1998 the Congress of the United States drastically changed copyright laws, keeping any new works, to this day, from entering the Public Domain. For these and many other reasons the authors felt an alternative method should be created.
How Was the NC General Public License Created? From 1998 to 2000 the authors of the NC GPL conducted extensive research on finding or creating a legal way to protect songs while releasing them for free general public use. Consulting with several lawyers and corresponding with copyright and public domain experts and scholars the consensus was that a GPL would be the most viable way of accomplishing this. Using several other tested General Public License as a pattern, the author, in consultation with this team, created a preliminary version of the NC GPL. This preliminary version was then circulated among pastors, worship leaders, musicians and lawyers to obtain any input they might have. In the end, a final version was drafted that was registered with the Library of Congress.
Why Use the NC General Public License to Protect Your Song? The NC General Public License was created for those that want to protect their songs from theft, but also want to freely release their songs for the general public to use and modify. (Without any kind of legal protection, someone could claim a song you wrote was theirs, copyright it and charge you to sing it. This has happened to Christian songwriters in the past.)
Are the songs and materials really free? Yes! All of the songs and materials found on this site may be downloaded and used for free in accordance with the NC General Public License.
Do I need permission to use the songs? No. You do not need permission to sing, record, produce or distribute any of the songs or other work found on this site. However, you are required to use the appropriate copyright statement found in the How to Apply These Terms section of the NCGPL.
Can I record NC GPL songs? Yes, in fact we encourage it, simply follow the guidelines outlined in the How to Apply These Terms section of the NC GPL. There are no royalties to pay, no contracts to negotiate, and no permissions to seek. We would love to hear from you though, should you feel so inclined.
What about royalties? Works licensed under the NC General Public License have no royalties or costs associated with them. They are completely free to record, play, or distribute under the terms of the NC GPL. The only compensation generated from the use of an NC GPL song, is through the sale of the work on which it was used.
Am I allowed to translate the songs or other works into another language? Yes, and this is highly encouraged. NC GPL works and works released under similar licenses have been translated and distributed all over the world.
What is "The Alabaster Copyright"? This NC General Public License has been nicknamed "The Alabaster Copyright" because the freedom it provides mimics the stories in the Bible of the woman with the alabaster box. The arguments against the NC GPL also mirror the arguments of the crowd, the disciples and Judas Iscariot when they criticized the woman with the alabaster box for "wasting" her perfume of worship.
A Modern Rendition of Matthew 26:6-13 might read like this: 6And when Jesus was in America at His Father’s House, 7His Church came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil of Worship, and she poured it on His head as He sat in her midst. 8But when some in His Church saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9For this fragrant oil of Worship might have been sold for much and given to reach the lost.” 10But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble My Church? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the lost with you always, but Me you do not have always.12For in pouring this fragrant oil of Worship on My body, she did it for My Second Coming.13Assuredly, I say to you, for eternity, what My Church has done for Me will also be told as a memorial to her." |
