There is a lot of misconception out there regarding copyright and fair use practices. Copyright laws can be confusing. “Copyright” just means “the right to copy”. It means that the creator or author’s right to copy and reproduce an original work, or a portion of it.
In this guide, we’ll go through some of the basics of copyright and “fair use” of laws, with a focus on using copyright free music for nonprofit and other purpose.
As a note, copyright laws do change from one country to another, so always make sure you check your local laws before using any part of any work that you know is copyrighted already.
Nonprofit Doesn’t Mean It’s Automatically Fair Use
There is surely some confusion and misinformation floating around when it comes to using copyrighted music for nonprofit operations.
You’ve probably heard it before: The typical interpretation is that since a nonprofit isn’t eventually making any profit from the final video or project that uses the copyrighted material, you’re automatically protected under “fair use” copyright laws.
But that’s not how copyright law works. The biggest misconception is that nonprofits are protected from copyright infringement due to their non-profit status.
Copyright and fair use laws apply to all uses of copyrighted work, indeed using copyright free music for nonprofit, regardless of your entity’s non- or for-profit status.
The original creator, as the copyright holder, has the capability to bring suits up against anyone who uses any portion of their work. It’s up to the courts to also decide if the copied work or portion of copied work actually infringes on the copyright.
Nonprofit Educational Purposes
Copyright law mentions clearly that nonprofit uses of copyrighted work is in relation to educational purposes.
This part of the fair use of law specifically applies to nonprofit educational institutions such as libraries and archives. The educational clause doesn’t apply when it comes to the most common cases of using copyrighted music for nonprofit.
Use Licensed Music
For nonprofit video or other publication, using copyrighted music would get troublesome, especially if you don’t go in a right way.
Trying to use nonprofit status to get out of a copyright lawsuit is a long and complicated process. There are several cases where copyrighted original material can be used in certain cases, the fact that your company has nonprofit status.
The most easiest way to avoid having to deal with a copyright lawsuit when using copyrighted music for nonprofit is to use music that has specifically been licensed for re-use.
The best way to find video music for nonprofits is always going to be by obtaining and using music specifically licensed for that purpose. Rather than taking a chance and possibly going to court just because you found a good track you want to use it .
How Beatoven Can Help Find Quality Copyrighted Music
Finding good video music for nonprofits, or indeed finding good royalty free music for any video projects, could be a real challenge. Adding in the complication of fussing about copyrights and that’s enough to make you give up.
This is an music AI-powered library that offers amongst the best background music for videos. At Beatoven we have curated the best tracks when using copyrighted music for nonprofits. We believe in supporting artists.
