[sword-devel] Questions re: NIV, NASB, and others...

[Mark Morley]

First of all, has anyone had any luck getting the publishers
of these popular modern versions to allow us to make them
available online?

I'm sure many here have dug deeper into all this than I, so
could someone clarify a few things for me please...

First of all, is it legal to make and use a Sword Module of
the NIV/NASB/AMP/etc. if it's strictly for personal private
use?  I'm guessing it's ok with the NASB and AMP, since they
allow you to download the raw ASCII text for personal use
right from the Lockman site.  I'm not so sure about the NIV.

What if you aren't actually distributing the module, but you
share the use of it amongst a group of people?  That is,
multiple people on a network can read/search the NIV, but
don't have access to the actual module files themselves?

Same thing but what if they are users of a web site, excluding
the general anonymous public?

Here's another scenario: most of these versions follow a
similar "quoting policy".  That is, no more than N verses
at a time, as long as they represent no more than X% of
any single book, and nor more than Z% of the total work, etc.

When I asked the NRSV folks about using their text on my
webSWORD site, they said that it was ok as long as I stuck
to those rules.  When I asked the NIV folks the same
question, they said "sure, as long as you remove it after
30 days", which defeats the point entirely.

My letters to the Lockman folks go completely unanswered.
Does anyone know who I'd need to contact regarding the
use of the NASB and AMP versions on a web site?

Thanks,

Mark