Is The Holy Bible protected by copyrights?

Answer 1

I'm not an attorney. Copyright is a complex branch of law. For example, a classic song may be in the public domain. However, that does not mean that a newly released recording by an artist is up for grabs and free to anyone. The recording itself is owned by the artist and producers. Something similar happens with The Bible and other kinds of works. The material itself is in the public domain. But think about the people involved in producing the NIV version of scripture. [Or the KJV, or NASV, Jerusalem or any number of published versions] There were many scholars and experts in Hebrew, Greek, Chaldee, Aramaic and other languages, to say nothing of English specialists and theologians. Zondervan is the [NIV] publisher handling all the countless technicalities of setting type, printing binding and marketing, etc. You can't take material prepared by the NIV transation team and publishers and treat it as public domain, even if the biblical material itself is. You can relate any and every story in your own words, use any theme or character and include as much or as little biblical information as you want, and no person will have a problem with that. But, start distributing NIV material or material from the KJV or other published versions, or worse selling it, and you will be in trouble. When you see it this way, it really is reasonable. Anyone should have the right to protect one's own work for reasonable lengths of time.

Answer 2

The Bible itself is not Copyrighted, but many translations are, such as the Phillips, NIV, Moffatt, NKJV, RSV, NRSV, Amplified, and NASB.Wiki HQ has advised that according to US law, a work is automatically in the Public Domain if it is pre-1923.

The following Bible versions are definitelyPublic-domain:-

-BBE (Bible in Basic English)

-KJV (King James Version; also known as Authorized Version)

-WEB (World English Bible)

-NET (The NET Bible )

-ASV (American Standard Bible of 1901)

The following are either Copyrighted, Rights Reserved, or Used with Permission:-

-CEV (Contemporary English Version)

-GNB (Good News Bible)

-ISV (International Standard Version)

-LITV (Literal Translation of the Holy Bible)

-MKJV (Modern King James Version)

ALL of the above 10 translations of the Bible are available completely free of charge (including the Copyrighted ones) from the site www.e-sword.net (Note: this NET Bible only has partial Notes). The NET Bible with completeNotes is available from http://www.bible.org/netbible/ , also free of charge. Although the NET Bible is recent (1996-2006) it deliberately has no Copyright so it could be released as 'Public Domain' in order to get it into the hands of as many people as possible.

Answer 3

The Bible is a public domain document.

There is no copyright on the Bible, nor has there ever been.

AnswerSome versions of the Bible are subject to copyright. The KJV, BBE (Bible in Basic English) , WEB (World English Bible), NET Bible, ASV (American Standard Bible of 1901), and the NASB are Bibles that are not. Most others are.

Answer 4

No, the WRITTEN contents of it are not. However the form in which it is published and printed, or reproduced may be.

Answer 5

Yes. The translation was copyrighted in 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc.