Media Library

[TimRiker]

This might be useful for anyone contributing to the LDSTech App contest. Note: terms specify noncommercial use, so using art from the media library would prohibit selling that app without making other arrangements.

"To assist you in creating uplifting gospel messages, we are pleased to announce that the content in the Media Library on LDS.org, unless otherwise indicated, has been cleared for use by members without seeking permission from the Church." - Elder David A. Bednar

https://www.lds.org/media-library

[kgividen1]

This is great news. Thanks for letting us know.

[trevorh]

So we would be allowed to use the content in apps that are free but ad-supported?

[Rictersmith]

This really needs to be clarified. None of the images on the church site to my understanding are allowed to be used in application development.

Some works are available to use under a form of general license that might not require an individual request. For example, much of the media on LDS.org is freely available for noncommercial, personal, and Church-related purposes. However, an app which you intend to distribute, whether free or not, would be considered “commercial” and not subject to this general license. Note that the Church is not currently able to consider copyright permission requests from Contest participants. https://tech.lds.org/wiki/ContestFAQ

At the onset of the competition, I did file a formal request to use the images. Aside from the of denial of usage request from a Paralegal with the Correlation Intellectual Property for the Church, I received additional communication that the Church was not at a point to allow\license usage of the images on the site and later saw that the above quote had been added to the contest FAQ.

If there is an official stance that has changed, this needs to be reflected in the FAQ and not in the community forums.

[trevorh]

Yeah, I also got a denial back in response to sending the form in. But the denial told me I had to specify exactly which images I wanted. I gave up and have just tried to come up with my own instead.

But this makes me wonder what the developers have done that do include images, such as the Gospel Art apps that are available?

And it seems rather sad that the media is allowed free usage of images from the Newsroom site (which I also requested permission for, but was denied), but members of the church aren't allowed to put them in their apps.

[Rictersmith]

Yeah, I also got a denial back in response to sending the form in. But the denial told me I had to specify exactly which images I wanted. I gave up and have just tried to come up with my own instead.

But this makes me wonder what the developers have done that do include images, such as the Gospel Art apps that are available?

And it seems rather sad that the media is allowed free usage of images from the Newsroom site (which I also requested permission for, but was denied), but members of the church aren't allowed to put them in their apps.

Thanks for adding your info. Mine was a straight no with no explanation and one of the brethren at the office was nice enough to let me know not to take it personal but that the Church just was not able to deal with all the requests at this time. I did ask if scaling down my request would work, since I asked for images on official church sites, including general authority images and able to quote text as well from scripture and conference talks. I was told that would probably get denied too, so I didn't try.

I think any developer at this point who has used images have probably done so without receiving permission and may be using them based on opinion and not an actual authorization.

At a minimum, I'm hoping media.lds.org and\or create.lds.org items will be allowed with a general use type license. There really does need to be something along these lines, especially since it is a vast majority of the members donating and offering their works for use.

Maybe soon the church will develop something similar to the creative commons license that allows members to upload materials and specify license usage terms, such as Official Church Use, Non-Commercial, Commercial, with or without attribution requirements, rights to modify, etc. However still allowing the church to retain official copyright incase of misuse and to allow them to pull rights that may conflict with the intended use of the media. Sadly its always a catch up game it seems in regards to needs vs. technologically being ready to deliver.

Most public domain or creative commons material I am finding (what little there is) at a minimum requests attributing the creator, which one the one had is nice, but on the other, is a bit of a pain to do and have writing scrawled across or someplace near the image. I am redesigning my layout to possibly accommodate an author tag, but so far the examples of the amount of text that has to be added is pretty long.

At this point I am working and asking local members, family and friends to re-create some of the gospel type images (ex: baptism, laying on of hands, etc.). A lofty goal at some point is to create a location (on fliker or some other site) that will allow users to upload images for general use with a CC0 Public Domain license.