NEW YORK – Churches can show the Super Bowl on big screen TVs this coming Sunday without fear of violating copyright laws.
Many churches canceled Super Bowl parties after the National Football League warned an Indiana church in 2007 that it would be illegal to show the game on anything larger than a 55-inch screen — a restriction that critics complained did not apply to sports bars.
After members of Congress threatened to change copyright laws, the NFL dropped that restriction, starting with this year’s Super Bowl.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says churches may now show the game on any size screen, as long as it’s in their normal meeting place and they don’t charge admission.