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.
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.