Keeping Super Bowl Church Events Compliant

CopyrightSolver  |  Wednesday, January 25, 2012  |  Articles & Resources

One of America’s most sacred holidays is fast approaching. The 46th National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl® is less than two weeks away and many churches are preparing for one of their biggest evangelistic opportunities of the year.

The Super Bowl® has the largest economic impact of any regular human event with literally every demographic engaged in this annual national fervor. While churches won’t be looking to make money on the big game, they will be promoting events to view the classic clash between the Giants and the Patriots in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN  February 5, 2012.

This year is one of the first in history that churches are preparing for Super Bowl® parties without fear of penalties and interference from the NFL for copyright infringement. Even so, it’s vital that church leaders follow important guidelines to stay inside the playing field and make sure they avoid legal risks of infringement.

CopyrightSolver recently had a chance to speak with an NFL representative regarding the NFL’s policies for churches that want to host viewing parties on Feb. 5th.

CopyrightSolver:
Many Churches enjoy gathering together to watch the Super Bowl® each year, but they are unsure about necessary steps they must take in order to stay copyright compliant when doing so. What requirements must a church meet in order to host a “viewing party?”

NFL:
A church must hold their “viewing party” in its usual place of worship and must not charge a fee for attending such viewing party.  If those requirements are met, the NFL will not object when a church has a party for its congregants to watch the Super Bowl® together.

A key point in the NFL’s response to churches is it’s allowance of a viewing party it "its usual place of worship." This is an important qualification to understand. We understand that many churches do not have a typical church campus and many use rented public spaces to conduct worship services. Here is the NFL’s position on these situations:

CopyrightSolver:
Many churches hold regular services meet in rented spaces (i.e. convention centers, hotel conference centers, movie theaters, and school auditoriums). Does your previously mentioned statement regarding “usual place of worship” also apply to churches in these situations?

NFL:
No, the NFL’s grant of permission is with respect to the church property (not rented spaces).

Over the past several years churches faced warnings and possible legal action if they hosted bowl parties. Thanks to concessions by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFL will not block religious organizations from hosting Super Bowl® viewing parties.

CopyrightSolver:
We also understand that it is important for churches not to use registered trademarks of the NFL in any promotional materials, including via social media or their website concerning the viewing party; which trademarks are most commonly used without permission? And how could they be properly licensed for use?

NFL:
We actively protect all of the NFL’s trademarks.  We have a robust licensing and sponsorship program for use of our marks.  Sponsors typically have multi-million dollar agreements with the NFL; licensee’s can apply on NFL.biz.  Neither of these options really applies to the use of our marks by a Church.

There are some important rules, however, to follow to avoid being tackled with risks of copyright infringement:

• Churches must show the game live on equipment they use in the course of ministry at their premises; recordings of the show are not permitted.
• Churches cannot charge admission for the party. The NFL has stated, however, that churches may take up a donation to defray the cost of the event.
• It’s advisable for churches to call the event a “Big Game Party” rather than a “Super Bowl® Party,” as both the “NFL” and “Super Bowl” are trademarked and protected intellectual property. For example, one church last year called their event a “Souper Bowl” party and asked for donations of canned soup for a local ministry.

Here’s a short list of terms that the NFL holds trademarks to (so refrain from using them!):

• Super Bowl
• Super Sunday
• Team Names, not cities (for example, you can say "New England vs. New York" but not "The Patriots vs. The Giants."
• Do not use the NFL, Super Bowl, NFC, AFC, or any team logos in your publications or promotional materials

CopyrightSolver:
Lastly, since the Super Bowl® is on a Sunday evening, many churches may be unable to view the full game due to conflicts with established worship services.Could a church utilize a digital recording device to make a temporary copy of the game (such as a TiVo, DVR, etc.) so they could watch the game together in its entirety?

NFL:
Yes, the NFL will not object to this. Any additional uses outside the scope of the activities listed above would require permission and licensing from the NFL.

If you wonder how your church would score overall when it comes to copyright compliance, take CopyrightSolver’s free online Copyright Compliance Report Card and find out how you’re doing.