Is (a possible) revised NWT prompted by lapsing copyright?

by slimboyfat 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  slimboyfat

  In the United States I gather that copyright lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 70 years. But what is the law regarding anonymous works, such as the NWT? If copyright only lasts for 70 years from publication of anonymous works, then copyright for the NWT of the Christian Greek Scriptures would be due to run out in a few years. Watchtower leaders probably don't like the idea of others being able to publish hard copies or circulate the NWT in ebook format. That's been a problem for the Mormons since lots of different ebook editions of the Book of Mormon have appeared on Amazon and elsewhere and they can't do anything to stop it.

  So what could the Watchtower leadership do? They could announce who the translators of the NWT and thus extend the copyright period for another 50 years or so (from F W Franz's death in 1992) or they could produce a revised edition, again anonymous, but with another 70 years of copyright on it. Letting it be known that Franz was the translator would be too much of a climb down from the stance of "principled" anonymity, not to mention dishonourable since it would be against Franz's wishes. He never thought this problem would arise because Armaggedon was supposed to come within "this generation".

  So if the rumours are true, and there is to be a revised NWT released soon, is copyright expiry what prompted it? If so will they be honest enough to explain that situation to ordinary Witnesses, or in true Watchtower fashion will they give false and misleading explanations of their actions? I wonder how thorough a revision it will be, and if it must meet a certain standard of reworking to be considered a new work under copyright law, does anyone know?
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  mP

  probably im guessing a lot of scriptures will disappear or get altered.
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  dropoffyourkeylee

  An interesting question SBF, I found my copy of the old dark green NWT of the Christian Greek Scriptures and it has the copyright of 1950. But then I am looking at the largeprint reference and it says 'Copyright, 1961, 1981, and 1984'. I don't know what that means in relation to your question. Maybe someone with some legal expertise can weigh in.
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  Jeffro

  Copyright registration is explicitly indicated as at least 1984, but copyright is generally implicit, so would be 70 years from when the book was last printed by the copyright holder (i.e. current revisions say it is the "2006 printing"). So the NWT copyright is not about to expire for quite some time yet.
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  Chaserious

  I don't know a ton about copyright, but the life of the author + 70 years rule only applies to works first published after 1978, so it would not apply to the NWT. Also, re-printing a work with a new copyright date does not restart the copyright period. First publication is the key date, and last printing doesn't matter, contrary to what was indicated above.

  This said, and subject to correction if someone else is more expert on copyright law, I believe that because the original copyright was renewed, the NWT's U.S. copyright period would last 95 years, so until at least 2045. (I believe the "Greek Scriptures" was published in 1950. I'm not sure whether the copyright for the entire publication would expire then, given that the "Hebrew Scriptures" was not published until later). The anonymous/known author distinction that ties the expiration to the death of the author only applies to works first published in 1978 or later. Here is a good summary of copyright term length for various works: http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
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  Jeffro

  Copyright laws vary in different countries. Thanks for the more specific detail for US.

  Based on the site you've linked, US copyright for the NWT expires in 2056 (95 years after 1961).
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  Narcissistic Supply

  *THAT* and 2.15 will get you a cup at Starbucks!
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  Jeffro

  *THAT* and 2.15 will get you a cup at Starbucks!

  Huh?
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  Narcissistic Supply

  International copyright law??? PLEASE!

  You think the FBI is going to enforce international copyright law for the benefit of these jokers???

  PLEASE!!

  You think the FBI is going to enforce copyright for these jokers with the explosion of ebooks and everyone is a blogger on tmblr.com???

  PLEASE!!!
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  Jeffro

  Narcissistic Supply:

  You think the FBI is going to enforce international copyright law for the benefit of these jokers???

  Since copyright isn't about to expire for the NWT for several more decades, it's unlikely that copyright is a motive for any current action they're currently taking.

  I think the FBI has more important things to worry about. But that doesn't mean the WTS can't take legal action itself. But even that seems unlikely, as the content is available online for free and also distributed for free in book form (if you can actually get a hold of a new printed copy these days), so it doesn't actually make them any money, and therefore may be a little difficult to reasonably enforce copyright.

  Quoting verses or brief passages from the NWT (or any copyright work) generally comes under fair use anyway.