Copyright permission
To allow us to process permission requests for the use of copyright material owned or administered by Matthias Media, please read the following.
Broad policy
It is only by staying afloat financially that Matthias Media can continue to invest in the development of new resources for growing Christians. This means that Matthias Media seeks some financial contribution from those that use and benefit from our resources (cf. 1 Cor. 9:7-9).
Our general approach is to give permission whenever possible for translation of our resources, or to allow appropriate use of extracts from them, in order to support the ministry of the gospel. However, it will generally be appropriate for a royalty to be paid for use of the translated material. (Naturally, some account will be taken of the financial circumstances of those using the translations or extracts. See our pricing policy for more about our approach in this regard.)
By and large, we will not accede to requests to make modifications to any of our resources, nor to requests which seem to be made in the hope of avoiding purchasing the resources.
As word spreads about our resources, we are finding it an increasing burden to have to respond to all manner of different requests. Accordingly, we are now having to formalize the process, and ask that those seeking permission provide us with all the information we need to process your request quickly and efficiently.
Please determine which of the following categories your copyright request falls under, and click on the corresponding link for more information about each category.
Once you have read the relevant section, please (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you wish to pursue the matter further and we can send you details of the information we will require to process your permission request.
- Translation and limited publication for ministry in a local church or similar sized organization
- Translation and widespread publication (including by publishing houses)
- Requests for reproduction of articles or extracts (e.g. in newsletters, magazines, books, or for church-based training/seminars)
- Requests for links or duplication of Matthias Media website material
- Requests for use of illustrations (including Two Ways to Live illustrations)
- Use of the text of the Gospel of Luke (from The Essential Jesus)
Translation and limited publication for ministry in a local church or similar sized organization
Matthias Media is willing to grant permission for overseas missionaries or those in other ministries amongst non English-speaking people to translate and reproduce written materials for use in their own specific ministry context. (For broader use and distribution please see Translation and widespread publication.)
However, as stated in our broad policy above, we consider that it is generally appropriate for a contribution by way of royalty to be made to Matthias Media for the use of the material. The standard contribution would be 10% of the Australian retail price (as shown on the Matthias Media website) per copy reproduced, paid in Australian currency through an Australian bank. Royalties should be remitted at the time of reproduction, unless reproduction is being done as copies are required, in which case remittances should be made at least once every six months.
A Letter of Agreement will be provided to the person or organization doing the reproduction, setting out the terms and conditions. A non-refundable application processing fee of AUS $100.00 is also payable to cover the costs associated with processing your copyright request and drafting the Agreement. You will also be asked to send us three copies of the translated resource.
If the users of the translated material are economically disadvantaged, we ask that you use your best endeavours to raise the necessary royalty through those who are funding the ministry you are conducting. If for some reason this is not possible, then Matthias Media will consider waiving its royalty entitlement, but not the application fee.
Over time, translated resources may become more widely known, and you may receive requests from other churches or Christian ministries for copies. If royalties are being paid on the resources, limited distribution of this nature may be undertaken. However in your Agreement will be a requirement that you notify us should the number of copies sold or distributed in a year exceed a certain quota. This is to ensure that we become aware of it if the resource is becoming popular, because we would like to ensure that a reasonable quality of production is being used in such cases (and it also gives us encouragement to hear how the resources are being used!).
The person doing the translation must undertake to provide a faithful rendering of the English version, and changes of a theological, rather than linguistic or cultural, nature must be approved (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) by Matthias Media. Matthias Media reserves the right to have the translation verified, and to insist on changes being made to the translation.
Translation and widespread publication (including by publishing houses)
Matthias Media is willing to consider granting permission to overseas missions or other ministry organizations working amongst non English-speaking people, to translate and reproduce written materials for broad use. (For limited use, e.g. by a particular church or ministry organization in a specific location, please see Translation and limited publication for ministry in a local church or similar sized organization.)
Generally speaking, such permission will only be given to organizations which can demonstrate a commitment in their ministry (e.g. through other books they have published) to a reformed, evangelical theological position.
We consider that it is generally appropriate for a contribution by way of royalty to be made to Matthias Media for the use of the material. The standard contribution would be 10% of the Australian retail price (as shown on the Matthias Media website) per copy reproduced, paid in Australian currency through an Australian bank. Royalties should be remitted at the time of reproduction.
A written agreement will be provided to the person or organization doing the reproduction, setting out the terms and conditions. A non-refundable application processing fee of AUS $100.00 is also payable to cover the costs associated with processing your copyright request and drafting the Agreement. You will also be asked to send us three copies of the translated resource, and to ensure that the resources achieve a certain level of production quality.
If the users of the translated material are economically disadvantaged, we ask that you use your best endeavours to raise the necessary royalty through those who are funding the ministry to those users. If for some reason this is not possible, then Matthias Media will consider waiving its royalty entitlement, but not the application fee.
The person or persons doing the translation must undertake to provide a faithful rendering of the English version, and changes of a theological, rather than merely linguistic or cultural, nature must be approved (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) by Matthias Media. Matthias Media will reserve the right to have the translation verified, and to insist on changes being made to the translation.
Requests for reproduction of articles or extracts (e.g. in newsletters, magazines, books, or for church-based training/seminars)
General notes
Under no circumstances may any article or extract be changed, shortened, edited, or quoted in such a way as to suggest a meaning different to that given in its proper context.
Matthias Media is not normally able to provide articles in text/electronic format, although issues of The Briefing and kategoria can be purchased in PDF format through our website, or on The Briefing CD-ROM or kategoria CD-ROM, and text can be captured through those files.
A. Minor articles or extracts (less than 1,000 words)
For articles or extracts of 1,000 words or less, two distinct cases need to be considered:
- Where the Matthias Media publication has reproduced the content from another publication (normally acknowledged at the end of the article or quotation using words such as “Reproduced with the kind permission of ...” or similar), Matthias Media has no legal right to grant you permission. Permission should be sought from the publishers of the source material.
- Where the article or extract has been first or originally published through Matthias Media (ie. not the case of (i) above), then:
- permission is granted for reproduction in printed newsletters or other materials which are being given away for free or on a purely print cost recovery basis, subject to the payment to Matthias Media of a fee (set out in the table below) per article or extract, and the acknowledgment of copyright in the manner set out below:
Reproduced from [full reference of material], published by Matthias Media (www.matthiasmedia.com.au). Copyright. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Number of copies Fee 0-20 copies AUS $7.50 21-100 copies AUS $20.00 101-500 copies AUS $35.00 501+ copies Please call
If regular reproduction is being carried out, remittance of the relevant fees may be done on a quarterly basis, rather than for every article. - where reproduction is to be made in a publication which will be sold for more than the print costs, or for publication on a website (whether ‘commercial’ or otherwise), please seek permission (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
- permission is granted for reproduction in printed newsletters or other materials which are being given away for free or on a purely print cost recovery basis, subject to the payment to Matthias Media of a fee (set out in the table below) per article or extract, and the acknowledgment of copyright in the manner set out below:
B. Major articles or book extracts (more than 1,000 words)
Book extracts
Please seek permission (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Articles from The Briefing
Articles appearing in The Briefing as original articles (ie. not being articles reproduced from elsewhere, cf. (i) above), may be reproduced in newsletters or other materials which are being given away for free or on a purely print cost recovery basis, subject to the payment to Matthias Media of a fee (set out in the table below) per article, and provided that the person or organization reproducing the article is a current Briefing subscriber.
Articles should feature the following acknowledgment:
This article is reproduced from The Briefing with the permission of Matthias Media. © All rights reserved. For more information about The Briefing and other resources for growing Christians, visit the Matthias Media website (www.matthiasmedia.com.au) or call for a free catalogue on (02) 9663-1478.
| Number of copies | Fee |
| 0-20 copies | AUS $10.00 |
| 21-100 copies | AUS $30.00 |
| 101-500 copies | AUS $50.00 |
| 501+ copies | Please call |
In all other circumstances, including publication on websites or in email newsletters, please seek permission (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Articles from kategoria
Articles appearing in kategoria as original articles (ie. not being articles reproduced from elsewhere, cf. (i) above), may be reproduced in newsletters or other materials which are being given away for free or on a purely print cost recovery basis, subject to the payment to Matthias Media of a fee (set out in the table below) per article.
Articles should feature the following acknowledgment:
This article is reproduced from kategoria with the permission of Matthias Media. © All rights reserved. For more information about resources for growing Christians, visit the Matthias Media website (www.matthiasmedia.com.au) or call for a free catalogue on (02) 9663 1478.
| Number of copies | Fee |
| 0-20 copies | AUS $20.00 |
| 21-100 copies | AUS $40.00 |
| 101-500 copies | AUS $100.00 |
| 501+ copies | Please call |
In all other circumstances, including publication on websites or in email newsletters, please seek permission (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Requests for links or duplication of Matthias Media website material
Permission is not required for you to put links on your own site to any material on the Matthias Media website.
However, Matthias Media will normally decline requests for reproduction of our website material on your own website. This includes Two Ways to Live. We suggest you link to the material in such a way that it is easy for your users to return to your site should they wish (e.g. opening our page in a new browser window).
Requests for use of illustrations (including Two Ways to Live illustrations)
Please note that we can't normally give permission for artwork or illustrations to be reproduced, as they are published under license from the artist or from image libraries. Normally you will need to also seek the permission of the artist or purchase the image yourself from the image library.
Please note that it is also our policy to restrict the use of the illustrations for the Two Ways to Live gospel presentation to a context involving the text of the Two Ways to Live gospel outline. In other words, we want to retain a close link between the illustrations and the specific explanation that goes with them. We do not want the illustrations to be used as generic illustrations for any gospel presentation or evangelistic enterprise. (Note: you do not need to seek permission to reproduce the drawings by hand in the context of demonstrating or presenting Two Ways to Live to an individual or group.)
Use of the text of the Gospel of Luke (from The Essential Jesus)
The translation of Luke's Gospel published by Matthias Media in the book The Essential Jesus is not ‘copyright free’ as such. Matthias Media administers, protects and controls the copyright in the text of that translation, and, except as may be permitted by copyright law, no part of the text may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission from Matthias Media. However, permission is expressly given below for many common uses.
Please note, the permissions outlined below are only for the text of Luke's Gospel. Permission is NOT given under any circumstances for reproduction of the material contained in The Essential Jesus consisting of the introductory material (‘Previously in the Bible’) or the summary material (‘Where to from here?’ or ‘Why Jesus is essential’). All rights in this introductory and summary material is expressly reserved by Matthias Media and may not be reproduced under any circumstances.
Matthias Media's intention is to extend generous provisions for the reproduction of the text of Luke's Gospel for non-commercial purposes. Our goal is to make a fresh and modern version of Luke readily available for study and evangelism in a wide range of contexts.
Specifically, permission is granted for the free use of the text, whether in part or in full, in church1 bulletins, service sheets, overheads or computer presented slides (e.g. PowerPoint files), websites, posters, banners, or study materials, provided that no fee is charged for any of these uses and that no alteration is made to the text.
Where quoting more than one chapter of Luke, please include the following copyright notice:
Translation reproduced from The Essential Jesus. © Matthias Media 2008.
Please contact us if you are not sure if your desired usage is covered by this permission, or if you intend to charge a fee for provision of any part of the material in which the Gospel of Luke text or extract is contained.
1 A broad meaning of ‘church’ may be assumed. We certainly intend to include Christian student groups and other para-church groups and organizations.
All material on this website © 2000–2009 Matthias Media (ABN 19 067 558 365).
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