Competition to Publish The URANTIA Book

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In our last issue of "URANTIAN News," May 1995, we reported on the status of the Foundation's court struggle to retain its ownership of the copyright in The URANTIA Book . We reported that the judge had ruled that the Foundation's 1983 renewal of the copyright was invalid. This ruling has not however been filed, and it is not official until it is filed, after which time the Foundation intends to appeal it. In fact, the appeal process cannot even begin until this order is entered. Notwithstanding the uncertainties regarding the eventual status of the copyright, we have received mailings about readers and groups with no official connection to URANTIA Foundation, who are preparing to publish The URANTIA Book in direct competition, not cooperation, with URANTIA Foundation. One individual has already published Part IV of The URANTIA Book separately under another title. Another group plans to publish the English edition of the book later this year and also plans to translate and publish translations of The URANTIA Book which the Foundation has already published or are nearing completion, namely, the Spanish, Korean, and Russian translations.This cannot be viewed as working together, as cooperation, or even as friendly competition. The Foundation has been in communication with the individuals and groups doing these competitive projects and has, in good faith, attempted to dissuade them, but apparently to no avail.

The Foundation's request to any individual or group which may be interested in printing The URANTIA Book has been simple: Just wait until the copyright case, including the appeals, is finally settled. This request has been ignored, and plans to print the book continue.

We expect that, if any individual or group publishes The URANTIA Book at this early date, it will cause great confusion among thousands of future readers.