I mean every book has copyrights..
2007-05-08 12:20:58 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
No.
But copyright laws do apply to translations of the Bible.
For example, here is the copyright notice for the New American Bible:
New American Bible Copyright © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/john/intro.htm
With love in Christ.
2007-05-09 18:54:08 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kind of. The ancient manuscripts are clearly in the public domain, but not many people are interested in those. You can publish and sell that as much as you want.
*Translations* of the Bible, on the other hand, are subject to copyright laws, as they would constitute original works of some sort. Most English translations are copyrighted, but as long as you aren't selling the text, most publishers don't care if you redistribute the text, provided you cite the appropriate version. That doesn't mean that the translation isn't copyrighted, it means that the publisher allows users a limited license to publicize and redistribute.
The King James Version is old enough to have passed into the public domain, so you can do anything you like with that. No one owns the rights.
2007-05-08 12:34:33 · answer #2 · answered by Ryan D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure where you got your information, but not every book or image or anything else for that matter has a copyright. The bible is public domain and can be copied as you wish. Just like if Disney wanted to do so (they never would, but could if they wanted) could remove the copyright on Mickey Mouse and then you'd be able to make copies of him.
2007-05-08 12:32:17 · answer #3 · answered by caffeyw 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, not every book has copyrights. The bible is in the public domain. You may copy it at will. You may not, however, directly copy someone else's copy of the bible and pass it off as your own. But if you want to make your own copy and distribute it go for it.
2007-05-08 12:28:49 · answer #4 · answered by Daz2020 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No -- the Bible is open source.
Think about it: who would own the copyright?
2007-05-08 12:34:57 · answer #5 · answered by nombrilista 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not necessarily
the King James Bible is a public domain copy
More on Bible and its Copyrights:
http://ask.yahoo.com/20050202.html
2007-05-08 12:31:58 · answer #6 · answered by arus.geo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
good question... answer is yes AND no...
check out the website below
2007-05-08 12:30:56 · answer #7 · answered by Frog-Leggs 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋