Is it Biblical for Bibles to be copyrighted?

[Dave Slayer]

Is it Biblical for Bibles to be copyrighted? Why should the Word of God have a copyright?

 

[Nick]

I'm not quite clear on these Biblical copyright laws....are they the same as normal copyright Acts?

Does this mean I have to cite all kinds of stuff when I quote Bible verses etc, just like a normal book? .


I'd need to know more about it before I give my opinion.

 

[handy]

In the case of bible copyrights, there are some differences than in normal books. Any and all King James Version translations of the Bible, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelations 22:21 are considered public domain. These can be quoted and repeated at will. However, any number of KJV Bibles, especially study Bibles might contain study notes, essays, maps, etc. that are the property of the publishers and are subject to copyright laws.

Newer translations of the Bible, if the translation (or paraphrase) came after 1923 are subject to copyright laws. Yes, God wrote the Bible, but the translation of it was written by someone else, and that someone often seeks copyright protection for the hard work they do.

Now, an important thing to remember about copyright laws is what is known as "fair use". "Fair use" is the provision of copyright law that enables a certain amount of quoting copyrighted material without having to seek permission of the owners of the material. "Fair use" involves how much of the material is going to be copied and for what purpose. If someone is planning on using well below 50% of the material for a non-profit reason, then most of the time "fair use" comes into play. I think the NIV has something to the effect that one can copy up to 1000 verses before they care whether or not one seeks permission. I think.

Are copyright laws Biblical when they come to the Bible? Sure, I think so. I'm no expert on the anient languages of Greek and Hebrew, and the manuscripts are hard to come by. I can enjoy my NASB because the good folks at Moody took the time, paid the people and incurred the cost to translate those manuscripts into English so that I can read it.

However, just plain folks like us, or even most churches, can use any Bible under fair use, so really the copyright laws don't apply to us.

 

[ProphetMark]

No I don't think it is biblical. It can get in the way of Jesus's command to go and make disciples of all nations. Surely the more bibles there are available to read the better?

 

[Armor of God]

Yes, these men and women who do the modern translations spend a lot of time and money to get masters and doctor's degrees and they have a right to make a living. The publisher has a right to make a profit and stay in business. Servants of God are not commanded to work for free as Paul clearly points out in Romans. Copyright laws ensure their work is protected and they can make a living.

In today's day and age, there are plenty of free bible translations available so there is no argument or excuse to justify copyright infringement.

 

[Vic C.]

I'm not quite clear on these Biblical copyright laws....are they the same as normal copyright Acts?

Does this mean I have to cite all kinds of stuff when I quote Bible verses etc, just like a normal book? .


I'd need to know more about it before I give my opinion.

Click on a version to get copyright info.

http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/

... In today's day and age, there are plenty of free bible translations available so there is no argument or excuse to justify copyright infringement.

I agree. KJV, YLT, Darby, ASV and a few others fall into the public domain category. So people, please familiarize yourself with the copyright info of your preferred translation and site it in your posts. :yes

Thanks.

Oh, there may be a few of you who post your own interpretations. While you may not have obtained a copyright on your work, citing it is your own personal interpretation would be helpful.

 

[Nick]

Thanks for the ink Vic.

 

[JoJo]

This is why, despite the fact that I prefer the NIV, I quote from the KJV on this forum.

 

[handy]

Thanks for that link, Vic. According to BG then, I can quote up to 500 verses of my NASB, as long as they are not a complete book, or constitute more than 25% of the work in which it is quoted.

It would be interesting to see what is defined as a "work". For instance, if someone were to start a thread on say, "Does God really love everyone" and my whole answer was to quote John 3:16, would that be considered a "work"?

 

[Vic C.]

You are welcome, ladies and gents.

 

[JoJo]

An interesting thing happened to my sister several years ago. She had a xanga site and in one of her blog posts, she had quoted an NIV verse (just one) and put "(NIV)" after it. She told me that Zondervan actually contacted her and told her to remove the verse from her page. Somehow that doesn't seem like "fair use" to me.

 

[Vic C.]

That just stinks, Jo!

Besides my affection for the KJV, the though of not having to put a "KJV" next to any KJV verse I, or anyone, posts is very appealing from the Christian perspective.

:amen

 

[Nick]

According to the link you posted, Vic, I have to put about 5 lines of copyright after verses quoted in the NIV, so although I love the NIV I think I'll (for this site) switch to quoting KJV as it is easier. I think biblegateway.com has parallel versions.

The NIV text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

When the NIV is quoted in works that exercise the above fair use clause, notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page or opening screen of the work (whichever is appropriate) as follows:

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica.

These Scriptures have been made available on the Internet for your personal use only. Any other use including, but not limited to, copying or re-posting the Scripture on the Internet is prohibited. These Scriptures may not be altered or modified in any form but must remain in their original context. These Scriptures may not be sold or otherwise offered for sale--to include online banner ads that encapsulate linkages to these Scriptures for the purpose of selling online ad space. These Scriptures are free for all online use. These Scriptures are not public domain. These Scriptures are not shareware and may not be duplicated.

When quotations from the NIV text are used in non-salable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initial NIV must appear at the end of each quotation.

Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Version must obtain written permission for the use of the NIV text.

Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530.

Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., a member of the Hodder Headline Plc. Group, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.

 

[Vic C.]

Note; these aren't Bible Gateway's rules; they are the "rules" of the very publisher. So the issue is with Zondervan , not me, not Bible Gateway and certainly not God's.

Following copyright laws is a ethical issue as well as an issue of the law. I only asked that we cite translations for the sake of our site. You see what they did to Jojo's sister. :bigfrown

According to the link you posted, Vic, I have to put about 5 lines of copyright after verses quoted in the NIV, so although I love the NIV I think I'll (for this site) switch to quoting KJV as it is easier. I think biblegateway.com has parallel versions.

Nick, I believe this is all that is needed for a BBS like ours:

When quotations from the NIV text are used in non-salable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initial NIV must appear at the end of each quotation.

 

[Nick]

Note; these aren't Bible Gateway's rules; they are the "rules" of the very publisher. So the issue is with Zondervan , not me, not Bible Gateway and certainly not God's.

Following copyright laws is a ethical issue as well as an issue of the law. I only asked that we cite translations for the sake of our site. You see what they did to Jojo's sister. :bigfrown

[quote="Nick_29":3brx8pcz]According to the link you posted, Vic, I have to put about 5 lines of copyright after verses quoted in the NIV, so although I love the NIV I think I'll (for this site) switch to quoting KJV as it is easier. I think biblegateway.com has parallel versions.

Nick, I believe this is all that is needed for a BBS like ours:

When quotations from the NIV text are used in non-salable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initial NIV must appear at the end of each quotation.

[/quote:3brx8pcz]
Ahhh, Ok, thanks Vic. I wasn't sure if this site was one of those or not.