License and Registration Please

In my blog Beware of the Copyright, I talked about my experience as a volunteer producer having our live-stream feed shut down by a social media platform within seconds of airing a 2-minute video clip to introduce our guest speaker. It blew my mind how quickly this happened and how disruptive it was for all of those watching via the live feed. We had an accidental copyright infringement issue. With groups wanting to have walk-in and walk-out music for their events, including music as part of their events, and hosting sporting event watch parties, music licenses, commercial cable subscriptions, and satellite licenses need to be considered.

Walk-in and walk-out music using a streaming service such as Spotify^TM is fine for your daughter’s backyard birthday party. However, if you are hosting a large 3-day conference in a convention center for 2000 people, your organization would need to subscribe to a business account due to copyright laws.

Likewise, if you are having a band play music at your event, you also need to consider copyright laws. Organizations like ASCAP and BMI can provide access to different licenses based on your need. They can also advise whether or not you will need an additional streaming license if you are sending your feed to another location or online. If you are working with a church or nonprofit group to include worship music at your event, CCLI is the organization for you. All of these organizations safeguard the songwriters rights and ensure they get the proper royalties owed to them.

Given that it’s football season right now, groups are also planning sporting event watch parties. The Superbowl is coming soon and I know of several events that are in the planning phases. Again, if you’re planning a party for a few of your closest friends in your man cave, you don’t have to worry about what size screen you’re using, or the equipment you’re watching on, you just can’t charge your friends a fee to enter your home.

Churches can host watch parties but need to follow a few guidelines: 1) equipment used to watch the game must be church-owned and used for regular ministry purposes, 2) the screen cannot be larger than 55″, 3) the game must be shown on church-owned property, 4) no admission can be charged (but a free-will offering may be collected), and 5) churches cannot use trademarked logos or phrases in any of their advertising. Just call it something like “The Big Game.”¹

Commercial properties such as restaurants and bars with multiple and large screens must purchase a license. Why? Follow the money. These establishments are making money either on admission or F&B sales, but they don’t own the content they’re showing. Again, it’s a copyright infringement issue. The NFL wants their piece of the action for using their game to draw people into a public event.²

So unless you want a cease-and-desist letter to show up in your mailbox after your event, be sure to review Section 110 of the Copyright Law. It is WAY cheaper to get the appropriate music, sports, or streaming license on the front end than it is to pay the penalty fees on the back end. The organizations providing these licenses are also very helpful and will talk you through what type of event you are planning and the recommended license to meet your needs. But, you have to pick up the phone.

Have you encountered an accidental copyright issue? Share what you learned here or
send me an email. I’d love to hear your story!

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1.Asiatico Law. Blog. Planning a Superbowl Party? Ryan Peak. January 2026. https://www.baalegal.com/planning-a-super-bowl-party/
2.SolidSignalBlog. What’s the Difference Between Having a Watch Party at Home and a Watch Party in a Bar? Stewart Sweet. April 9 2024. https://blog.solidsignal.com/tutorials/whats-the-difference-between-having-a-watch-party-at-home-and-having-a-watch-party-in-a-bar/#:~:text=You%20can%20watch%20anything%20you,real%20core%20of%20the%20answer.