Are Bible Reading Plans Copyrighted?
I am checking into this, because I created a Personal Book based upon the Life Journal Bible Reading Plan. I don't think this should be a problem for me to create personally for me (I have the book) but can I share the file I created. I Googled and have seen some Reading Plans that have a copyright symbol (but not sure how this can be copyrighted). Is this considered a derivative work? If this would be ok, and not violate copyright I will share it.
Thanks,
Philana
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I think it would be all right to share it. It's available free as an iPhone or Android app:
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Wow. It is good to ask the question, to stay honest & legit... But it is sad we have to. I would imagine the whole idea of creating a Bible reading plan is to encourage people to read the Bible
In light of copyright law, an anti-Bible person could theoretically create a bunch of Bible reading plans, copyright them, and then forbid everybody from sharing them. [6]
Logos 7 Collectors Edition
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Rosie Perera said:
I think it would be all right to share it. It's available free as an iPhone or Android app:
Thanks Rosie, I also emailed the church where the pastor who created works. I have not heard back. I was surprised that a Bible Reading Plan could be copyrighted. Its a list of passages, not a book or work the "author" wrote. I might wait a few more days to see if I hear back from the church.
I wish the Bible Reading Plan document would let us do this, it took awhile to tag the personal book.
Blessings,
Philana
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Philana Crouch said:
Thanks Rosie, I also emailed the church where the pastor who created works. I have not heard back. I was surprised that a Bible Reading Plan could be copyrighted. Its a list of passages, not a book or work the "author" wrote. I might wait a few more days to see if I hear back from the church.
You could also try contacting the Life Journal folks directly through http://store.lifejournal.cc/contact-us.aspx and ask if they'd mind. Point out that it's already available free as an iPhone app, and that it's available for download various other places. People can also get the daily reading each day from http://www.lifejournal.cc/bible/ and you can bump your computer clock up through the days of the year to get every day's reading. Thus someone could conceivably go through all the work at home to figure out the entire schedule without having to buy the Life Journal. So what would be the point of them keeping it out of people's hands?
I agree, the idea of copyrighting a Bible Reading Plan seems silly. Which ones have you come across online that are explicitly copyrighted?
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Super Tramp said:
In light of copyright law, an anti-Bible person could theoretically create a bunch of Bible reading plans, copyright them, and then forbid everybody from sharing them.
The rule of thumb is that the plan must not already exist under copyright and must not have 3 independent sources i.e. be common knowledge. On the web, people often use a standard footer that claims copyright even when the material is not copyrightable. I doubt there are many new reading plans for the "infidel" to copyright that are worth sharing.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Super Tramp said:
Wow. It is good to ask the question, to stay honest & legit... But it is sad we have to. I would imagine the whole idea of creating a Bible reading plan is to encourage people to read the Bible
In light of copyright law, an anti-Bible person could theoretically create a bunch of Bible reading plans, copyright them, and then forbid everybody from sharing them.
I agree, I don't even understand the rational behind copyrighting a Bible Reading Plan. I mean book yet, but a reading plan? But I emailed the church anyway.
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You would be surprised. There are more reasons than just money to copyright a product like a Bible reading plan. Think about a chronological plan, for example. If there was no copyright, anyone could copy the plan, alter it, and claim it as having come from a reliable source. Copyrighting doesn't just ensure royalties, it can also ensure the quality of work. Just a thought.
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Bible reading plans are not copyrightable.
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Alexander Longacre said:
Copyrighting doesn't just ensure royalties, it can also ensure the quality of work
Um, ever used Windows?[:D]
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Philana Crouch said:
I agree, I don't even understand the rational behind copyrighting a Bible Reading Plan. I mean book yet, but a reading plan? But I emailed the church anyway.
It is generally to stop someone else selling what you have produced.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with reproducing anything that is copyrighted, it is not usually illegal.
What copyright does is give the owner the right to take action against someone breaking copyright, whether they choose to do so is up to them. If you are theoretically breaking copyright then you are taking a theoretical risk of being subject to a civil action by the copyright holder but if they do not care, or you have very good reason to believe that they do not care then there is no problem.
For example if someone replies to this message and includes this post as a quote then I could take an action for breach of copyright, there are all sorts of defences, not least a judge telling me not to be so stupid. This shows that copyright is not a fixed principal to govern action, it is more like trespassing which is not a problem if the land owner does not care.
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Is the copyright on the web page itself at the bottom? Most reading plans I have come across pretty much look the same, so I would agree, I don't believe it can be copyrighted unless it was in book form or part of a larger collection. But, I am no lawyer.
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