What does a bible copyright cover?

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Prov910

Senior Member
Jan 10, 2017
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#1
Every bible I own has a statement saying it's protected by copyright. What does the copyright cover?

A copyright protects original works of authorship, for example, literature, works of art, songs, etc. Copyrights last ~75 years beyond the author's lifetime. (This varies somewhat, depending on the copyright law that was in place.) The original works of authorship in the bible are around 2,000 to 3,000 years old. The KJV is several hundred years old--far past the period of copyright protection. So what exactly is protected by copyright?

I understand that the commentary, maps, charts, notes, etc. are works of original authorship that may be protected by copyright. But I have bibles with no commentary, maps, etc. that still say protected by copyright.
 
Jan 21, 2017
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#2
Just another reason to use the King James Bible.
You know something is fishy when ya do that to a BIBLE.
 

trofimus

Senior Member
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
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#3
Its mostly a protection for the Bible organization or translators so that nobody can steal their work and say "I translated it" and start to sell it.

Also, there are some restrictions for how much of the text you can use publicly, for example on your webpage. Its mostly about several pages of text.

So do not worry, for you as a normal Christian user it means nothing.
 

Zmouth

Senior Member
Nov 21, 2012
3,391
134
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#5
Every bible I own has a statement saying it's protected by copyright. What does the copyright cover?

A copyright protects original works of authorship, for example, literature, works of art, songs, etc. Copyrights last ~75 years beyond the author's lifetime. (This varies somewhat, depending on the copyright law that was in place.) The original works of authorship in the bible are around 2,000 to 3,000 years old. The KJV is several hundred years old--far past the period of copyright protection. So what exactly is protected by copyright?

I understand that the commentary, maps, charts, notes, etc. are works of original authorship that may be protected by copyright. But I have bibles with no commentary, maps, etc. that still say protected by copyright.


From FINDLAW:

The primary goal of copyright law is to protect the time, effort, and creativity of the work's creator. As such, the Copyright Act gives the copyright owner certain exclusive rights, including the right to:

  • Reproduce the work
  • Prepare "derivative works" (other works based on the original work)
  • Distribute copies of the work by sale, lease, or other transfer of ownership
  • Perform the work publicly
  • Display the work publicly
The copyright owner also has the right to authorize other people to do any of the rights mentioned above. The copyright owner has the option and ability to transfer his or her exclusive rights -- or any subdivision of those rights -- to others as well.
What Is a Copyright? - FindLaw

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All works published in the United States before 1923 are in the public domain. Works published after 1922, but before 1978 are protected for 95 years from the date of publication. If the work was created, but not published, before 1978, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. Source
 

Alertandawake

Senior Member
Aug 20, 2017
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#6
Any bible that has a copyright logo on it, that itself says there has to be something different in comparison to other versions.

As far as I know when it comes to copyright, there has to be something different about the works in order to qualify for the copyright.
 
Oct 9, 2017
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#7
the original kjv afer 100 years has no copyright in the usa but other bibles do, I think it a shameful practice to copyright GODs word.
 

MarcR

Senior Member
Feb 12, 2015
5,486
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#8
When an organization secures a publisher to underwrite a new translation; it is with the understanding that a press run is a fairly expensive process. The people involved have expectations that their work will be well received and that sales will compensate for the time and money invested in making the new translation. If the translation finds a market then their efforts are compensated. If not the risk was known before the work was undertaken. The copyright ensures that only those who invested time and money to produce the translation will receive the compensation.