On March 17, 2001, representatives of The Urantia Book Fellowship, International Urantia Association, and Urantia Foundation, aided by their counsel and an independent team of mediators, reached an agreement concerning the copyright and trademark issues that have long been a source of friction among these organizations, which otherwise share many common goals. We hope you share our joy in achieving this step forward in the unity efforts among those interested in fostering the dissemination of The Urantia Book.
The agreement was finally concluded at approximately 2:30 AM on Sunday, March 18. Mediated negotiations began at 9:00 AM on March 17 at the law offices of Katten, Muchin, Zavis in Chicago and came to a successful conclusion eighteen hours later. Not that anyone planned to meet this long—in fact, it was initially thought that either we have an agreement by 5 or 7 PM at the latest or we don't—but there was enough motivation on both sides to find a non-litigious solution to our differences to stick it out until we got there. And we did.
At this point, we cannot supply details about the terms of agreement because the formal agreement itself is still in the form of a handwritten signed “memorandum of understanding” that needs to be polished and typed into a final document. Additionally, both sides agreed to issue a joint statement, which has yet to be drafted. A complete announcement regarding details of the agreement will be released soon.
We hope this positive step will lead to greater harmony among these organizations and an increased potential for further cooperative efforts by Urantia Book readers worldwide. We want to thank everyone who participated in the discussions over the past few years that culminated in this agreement. We have witnessed a willingness to succeed among the participants who worked so hard to achieve this peaceful resolution. We also thank all of you whose prayers and encouragement sustained us.
For further information contact Tonia Baney ([email protected]) or Mindy Williams ([email protected]) at Urantia Foundation, +1-773-525-3319.