In theory, yes. But then, it seems nobody gives a rats ass these days.

I'd be calling a lawyer as fast as I could if someone used one of my songs in a missile test video. But I'm not sure if I'd have a case. I'm guessing I would.

IAAL, but not your friend's lawyer and I haven't worked in copyright clearances in years, but your short answer is yes, she needs a license.

Brief explanation: Any time material protected by copyright is used by someone other than the copyright holder, the use must be licensed by the copyright holder. There are times that the license is compulsory; this circumstance is not one of them. There are times when a person who uses material protected by copyright without first obtaining a license may raise a defense to a charge of infringement (educational purposes, for instance). It is extremely unlikely that use in these videos, whether called promotional or not (and frankly, why would a missile company make available to the public videos of successful launches except for promotional purposes?), would be considered fair use.

(Of course, people do this all the time for slideshows and such at graduations, weddings and the like and they are unlikely to get sued. It's still not an exception, under the law, to the licensing requirement; it's just a practical matter of copyright enforcement.)

Unless your friend's employer is very small--which is not what one usually associates with "defense contractor"--they surely have in-house legal staff. She should be asking them. That's what they're there for. (And they will almost certainly tell her yes, the music needs to be licensed.)

Unless your friend's employer is very small--which is not what one usually associates with "defense contractor"--they surely have in-house legal staff. She should be asking them. That's what they're there for. (And they will almost certainly tell her yes, the music needs to be licensed.)

Thanks everyone, that's pretty much what I figured but wasn't certain.

Of course, people do this all the time for slideshows and such at graduations, weddings and the like and they are unlikely to get sued.

I remember about the time CD burners were becoming available several High Schools in the area created mix CDs to insert in yearbooks. Many were caught by and penalized by the RIAA (though at the time I remember we just called it "The Record Companies", how quaint).

Ahh. but that's unlicensed distribution, not unlicensed use/airplay. That's a whole 'nother ball of copyright wax!