Before you send a hymn, a favourite poem or a treasured photograph off to be printed in an order of service, it's worth knowing where UK copyright law actually draws the line — because the rules are different for each. This isn't personalised legal advice, but it's a genuinely useful starting point for families, celebrants and funeral directors alike.
The basic rule: copyright lasts a long time
Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, most creative works — poems, hymn lyrics, photographs — are protected for the life of the author plus 70 years from the end of the year they died. Copyright exists automatically the moment something is written or photographed; there's no registration involved, and no requirement for a copyright symbol to appear anywhere. That means a huge amount of material people assume is "free to use" — a poem from a 1970s anthology, a photo taken by a professional photographer decades ago — is still legally protected.
Hymns and worship songs: mostly covered, but not automatically
Most UK churches hold a CCLI (or, for some Catholic contexts, a One License) licence, which covers reproducing the words of most hymns and worship songs in printed materials like an order of service. Two things are worth knowing:
- Hymns that are genuinely in the public domain need no permission at all.
- Where a licence does apply, the printed sheet needs an acknowledgement beneath the hymn — the author, the publisher, and the church's CCLI licence number.
Responsibility for checking this sits with the church or celebrant organising the ceremony, not the printer — but it's still worth a family or funeral director double-checking before the order of service goes to print, since a missing acknowledgement or an uncovered hymn is a genuine (if usually low-risk) copyright issue.
Poems and readings: not covered by CCLI, at all
This is the one people most often get wrong. CCLI and One License cover hymns and worship songs — full stop. They do not extend to poems, readings, or liturgical text more generally. If a family wants to include a favourite poem — even something well-known and frequently used at funerals — permission technically needs to come from whoever holds the rights, unless the poem is old enough to be out of copyright (in practice, this generally means the poet has been dead more than 70 years).
In reality, many well-loved funeral poems are still in copyright, since their authors may have died relatively recently. It's worth a quick check before assuming a poem is free to reproduce.
Photographs: the photographer usually owns the copyright
A professional photograph — a studio portrait, a school photo, a wedding photograph taken by a hired photographer — is protected as an artistic work, and copyright typically belongs to the photographer, not the family who paid for the sitting, unless it was explicitly transferred. In practice this rarely causes problems for family snapshots taken on a phone, but it's a genuine consideration for older, professionally taken portraits that families want to use as the cover image.
Who's actually liable if something goes wrong?
A UK printer can, in principle, face liability for knowingly reproducing material without the necessary rights — which is why responsible funeral printers ask families to confirm they have permission to use hymns, poems, readings and photographs before printing. This isn't printers being difficult; it's a straightforward way of protecting both the family and the business producing their order of service.
One related point worth knowing: performance licence waivers exist that let music be played (rather than printed) during a funeral without a separate licence. That's a completely different thing from reproducing lyrics on paper — a waiver to play a song doesn't grant permission to print its words.
A quick checklist before you print
- Hymns: check the church's CCLI/One License covers it, and include the required acknowledgement — or confirm the hymn is public domain.
- Poems and readings: check whether the author died more than 70 years ago; if not, seek permission or choose something that's clearly out of copyright.
- Photographs: if a photo was taken by a professional photographer, check whether reproduction rights were included, especially for older portraits.
- When in doubt, ask your printer — a good one will flag anything that looks like it needs checking before it goes to print, not after.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print any hymn in an order of service?
Most hymns are covered if the church holds a CCLI or One License licence, provided the required acknowledgement is included. Public domain hymns need no permission. Always check with the church or celebrant if you're unsure.
Do I need permission to print a poem in an order of service?
Generally yes, unless the poem is old enough to be out of copyright (broadly, more than 70 years since the author's death). CCLI/One License hymn licences do not cover poems.
Can I use a professional photograph without asking the photographer?
Not automatically — professional photographs are protected as artistic works, and the photographer usually retains copyright unless it was explicitly transferred. It's worth checking, especially for older studio or school photographs.
Who is responsible for copyright permission — the family, the church, or the printer?
Primary responsibility usually sits with whoever is organising the ceremony content (the family or church), but printers can face liability too if they knowingly print material without the necessary rights, which is why a reputable printer will ask you to confirm permission.
Continue reading
See UK funeral statistics and printing costs, or read the history of funeral printing in Britain.
Ready to order? See our order of service printing service, or return to the Funeral & Memorial Printing hub.
This page provides general information based on UK copyright law (the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988) and is not personalised legal advice. If you're unsure about a specific hymn, poem or photograph, seek independent advice.