Using song lyrics in an educational facility
Type of use
Using and/or reproducing song lyrics in an educational facility. Think, for example of the distribution of photocopies of a song’s lyrics in the course of a language class or during curricular or extracurricular activities in a classroom or any other educational facility.
What To Do
In Quebec, refer to COPIBEC’s SAMUEL platform which legally offers song lyrics to school staff. COPIBEC’s licences also give you access to the lyrics of songs included in songbooks, CD booklets, anthologies, etc. You must declare your uses to COPIBEC.
If the lyrics to a song you are looking for are not available, you will need to contact the publishers of that piece of music to obtain either a reproduction licence or a simple permission.
Clarifications and cautionary statement
The current Copyright Act allows for the free use and reproduction of musical works in schools for educational purposes, except when a collective rights management organization can grant a licence for the proposed use. Quebec’s Ministry of Education enforces the agreement concluded with COPIBEC that includes the reproduction of song lyrics.
However, not all the song lyrics reproduced in textbooks and sheet music are covered by COPIBEC. Some musical works are not represented by that collective rights management organization.
Related uses
- - Using the sheet music or sound recording of a musical work in an educational facility
- - Graphic reproduction of the lyrics and/or music of a music work
The material on this web site is provided for informational purposes only.