[sword-devel] Copyrights and derivative works

[Daniel Russell]

Matthew Donadio wrote:

>Joel Mawhorter wrote:
>  
>
>>While the topics of copyrights and derivative works are fresh on everyone's
>>mind I thought I would ask a question. Does anyone know what the U.S. laws
>>are regarding producing a derative work based on a copyrighted work? For
>>example, could I create a NIV concordence without the permission of the IBS?
>>    
>>
>
>I'm not sure if this clears things up, but if you read the NIV copyright
>page, they specificially state that commentaries and reference works
>based on the NIV for commercial purposes require written premission from
>the publisher.
>
>  
>
This does not clear up the copyright law, but since everyone these days 
thinks they can do anything they want by making licenses that go with 
their work, what the copyright law says does not really matter.

So yes, the concordance would have been legal under straight copyright 
law, but since the NIV people made a magic clause, and since presumably, 
you must follow their license to be using/reading their work (never mind 
that they forced the contract on you *after* your purchase of their 
work, or even that you may have received a free copy of the NIV from 
elsewhere, and you never signed any contract), then you must receive 
written permission from them. That's way our literarily un-free society 
works these days :S