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THE Urantia BOOK
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION GUIDELINES
Issued by Urantia Foundation, June 14, 1982

Preface

The Urantia Foundation is required by its Declaration of Trust to perform a number of very important duties. It must promote, disseminate and expand among the peoples of the world the principles, teachings and doctrines of The Urantia Book. In doing so it must preserve inviolate the text of The Urantia Book, a duty the Declaration of Trust describes as "primary." In encouraging and stimulating study and discussion of The Urantia Book, the Foundation believes that The Urantia Book should be used in its entirety.

No one part takes precedence, and the respective parts are closely interrelated. However, the size and scope of The Urantia Book occasionally require that only portions be reproduced and used. In keeping with its "primary" duty to preserve the text of The Urantia Book, the Foundation has the responsibility, under the Copyright Laws to control reproduction of portions of the text. Without reasonable controls the Foundation risks losing its copyright ownership and also risks the eventual destruction of the integrity of the text.

Such a loss, the Foundation believes, would undermine efforts of the Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood to disseminate the teachings, and would seriously threaten public access to The Urantia Book text in the precise form in which it was presented. The guidelines are intended to balance the legal requirements with the spiritual objectives of the Foundation. The Foundation urges understanding compliance with the guidelines for the sake of The Urantia Book and its followers, past, present and future.

Scope of Guidelines

No attempt is made to cover every conceivable use of portions of The Urantia Book. However, certain general guidelines are offered to cover a number of situations. When there is doubt about the interpretation and/or use of these guidelines, Urantia Foundation invites your inquiry.

Fair Use Under Certain Circumstances

Copyright Law permits "fair use" of a copyrighted work, such as for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship or research. In determining whether a particular use falls within "fair use" the courts consider the purpose and character of the use (including whether it is commercial or for nonprofit educational purposes), the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount of the portion used in relation to the whole, and the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. There is no easy definition of what constitutes "fair use" and each situation must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis with reference not only to the Copyright Statute but also to the case law which has been decided over a period of many decades.

Copyright Notice

The copyright notice is an essential part of legal protection. It notifies the public that a particular work is copyrighted, and that it may not be reproduced without permission. Any written, pictorial, or recorded reproduction, whether verbatim copying or a paraphrase, of any portion of The Urantia Book must be accompanied by the following copyright notice: "(c) 1955 Urantia Foundation. All Rights Reserved." If the reproduction is written, the notice should be legible and placed on the title page of the reproduction. It may be handwritten, typed or printed. If the presentation is pictorial, the notice should be legible and placed on the face of the presentation. It may be handwritten, typed or printed. If the presentation is an oral one that is simultaneously taped or video recorded, the notice should be read at the beginning of the oral presentation. Written notice should then be affixed on the permanent container of the taped recording and on the first frame of a video recording. The notice should be legible and may be handwritten, typed or printed.

Permission and Disclaimer Statement

In addition to the requisite display of the copyright notice, Urantia Foundation requires in certain specified instances below that those who use material from The Urantia Book also include the immediately following Permission and Disclaimer Statement. Where the use of this Permission and Disclaimer Statement is not required, Urantia Foundation suggests that it nevertheless be used. "The material used herein from The Urantia Book is used by permission. Any artistic representation(s), interpretation(s), opinion(s), and/or conclusion(s)- whether stated or implied--are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Urantia Foundation (or Urantia Brotherhood or any of its affiliated Societies.)" The form and placement of the Permission and Disclaimer Statement should agree with the foregoing instructions for the form and placement of the copyright notice.

Permitted Uses

The following uses are "Permitted Uses" either as a result of falling within fair use guidelines or specifically being granted herein by Urantia Foundation. Members of the general public whether members of Urantia Brotherhood or not may without written permission from the Foundation reproduce and otherwise use materials from The Urantia Book (accompanied by the foregoing copyright notice) as follows:

  • (a) PERSON-TO-PERSON NON-PUBLIC CONTACTS: Readers may share the teachings of The Urantia Book with others on a person-to-person non-public basis by reading aloud and discussing the teachings without limitation. "Non-public" shall be defined as a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances. Readers may use up to 500 words in a written or recorded presentation; however, such uses are limited to purposes of analysis, illustration and explanation, in criticism, review, reporting and teaching, and all written or recorded copies must display copyright notice. If copies of a quoted portion are distributed, the number of copies distributed shall not exceed the number of persons in attendance at any meeting of a family and its social acquaintances. In addition, readers may use material from The Urantia Book in multi-media presentations, including diagrams, posters, charts, transparencies, slides or films; however, all materials must display copyright notice and such works must be limited to oral use and visual portrayal of not more than 500 words in total for all presentations at one event unless advance permission is obtained. Such uses are limited to purposes of analysis, illustration and explanation in criticism, review, reporting and teaching.
  • (b) NON-PROFIT PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS BEFORE CHURCH GROUPS AND SERVICE CLUBS, NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF STUDY PER SE BUT FOR A REVIEW OR MENTION OF THE Urantia BOOK: Readers may read aloud from The Urantia BOOK without limitation only:
    • (1) at a place of worship or other religious assembly during the course of service or
    • (2) at a non-profit performance, non-profit being judged-by whether the purpose of the performance is either directly or indirectly given for commercial advantage and whether any fee or other compensation for the performance is given to any of the performers, promoters or organizers of the event. The Urantia Foundation reserves its statutory right to prohibit any such performance for which there is a direct or indirect admission charge. Under all other circumstances, up to 500 words may be read aloud from The Urantia Book, and up to 500 words in total may be used in printed or recorded materials. These uses of up to 500 words are limited to purposes of analysis, illustration, and explanation in criticism, review, reporting and teaching. All copies of printed or recorded material--both visual and oral--must display the copyright notice. The number of copies distributed shall not exceed the number of persons in attendance. In addition, readers may use material from The Urantia Book in multi-media presentations, including diagrams, posters, charts, transparencies, slides or films; however, all materials must display copyright notice and such works must be limited to oral use and visual portrayal of not more than 500 words in total for all presentations at one event unless advance permission is obtained. Such uses of up to 500 words are limited to purposes of analysis, illustration and explanation in criticism, review, reporting and teaching.
  • (c) STUDY GROUP MEETINGS, Urantia BROTHERHOOD AND Urantia SOCIETY MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES, NEWSLETTERS AND BONA FIDE SCHOOLS:
    • (1) Study Group Meetings, Urantia Brotherhood and Urantia Society Meetings and Conferences.
      • (a) Reading aloud and discussing materials in The Urantia Book other than in bona fide schools (see below): readers may read aloud and present recorded oral presentations from The Urantia Book without limitation. If, however, printed copies of the portions read are to be distributed to those persons in attendance, advance permission must be obtained where the quotation exceeds 500 words in total. In any event, copyright notice must be placed on each copy distributed.
      • (b) Distributing printed matter: Readers may distribute up to 500 words, in total, in printed materials (in addition to the words counted in printed copies of portions. read aloud described in (c)(l)(a) above) for use by persons in attendance at independent Study Group meetings, and at Urantia Society Meetings, and conferences, workshops and any such like events which are sponsored by Urantia Societies, Urantia Brotherhood or Urantia Foundation. In no event may the number of copies made or distributed exceed the number of persons present at such event. All copies must display copyright notice and the Permission and Disclaimer Statement.
      • (c) Multi-media Presentations: Readers may illustrate the concepts of The Urantia Book in multi-media presentations. These may include diagrams, posters, charts, transparencies, slides or films. All such materials must display the copyright notice and the Permission and Disclaimer Statement. Display of these materials is limited to those events described in (c)(l)(b) above. Advance permission must be obtained if more than 500 words in total for each presentation are to be copied from The Urantia Book.
      • (d) Dramatic Presentations: Readers may use material from The Urantia Book as the subject of dramatic presentations, including songs, poetry and skits, that are fixed in written or taped form prior to, contemporaneously with, or after oral presentation. Direct quotations for these purposes are limited to 500 words in total. The Copyright Notice and the Permission and Disclaimer Statement should be used. If the dramatic presentation is an extemporaneous one that is not and will not be fixed in written or taped form, readers may use material from The Urantia Book without limitation.
    • (2) Newsletters: Readers may use material from The Urantia Book in newsletters. Up to 500 words in total per article per issue may be used if the copyright notice is printed on each copy. It is suggested, in the interests of clarity and conservation of space, that each quotation be "keyed" by use of an asterisk (*), or other similar notation, to a clearly defined area of the newsletter where the copyright notice and Permission and Disclaimer Statement shall be affixed. The Permission and Disclaimer Statement must be used in conjunction with all newsletter usage's of material from The Urantia Book.
    • (3) Schools: It is not possible here fully to define what constitutes a school and what does not. The idea of a school. however, does contemplate non-profit teaching activities including systematic instruction combined with an established curriculum. In the event the institution qualifies as a bona fide non-profit school, readers may read aloud from The Urantia Book and conduct performances based thereon without limitation when the use is for educational purposes in a classroom setting. Distribution of printed copies containing material from The Urantia Book may be made provided the number of copies distributed are for discussion purposes and do not exceed one copy per person in attendance, the number of words does not exceed 1000 words, distribution of copies does not occur more than two times per class in a single semester and the Copyright Notice and Permission and Disclaimer Statement are affixed to each copy. However, in any event, the use must be spontaneous, i.e., occur at the inspiration of the individual teacher or leader, with the inspiration and decision to use the work so close in time that it would be unreasonable to expect the teacher or leader to be able to make a timely request for permission. In no event shall such copying be permitted, however, if it is a substitution for the purchase of copies of The Urantia Book.

Uses Exceeding Permitted Uses

The Foundation encourages use and dissemination of The Urantia Book in its entirety. Therefore, permissions exceeding those stated above will be granted only in limited circumstances. Requests for permission exceeding these guidelines should be submitted well in advance of the time of proposed use to Urantia Foundation, 533 Diversey Parkway, Chicago, Illinois 60614, U.S.A. in writing, together with a description of the proposed use, the purpose of the use, and a description of the audience to which the use will be directed

Non-Permitted Uses

Neither The Urantia Book nor any portion may be used for commercial exploitation. For purposes of illustration, and not by way of limitation, permission will not be granted to use materials from The Urantia Book:

  • (a) as inscriptions on any part of greeting cards, post cards or like material.
  • (b) as slogans or inscriptions on T-shirts or other articles of apparel, bumper stickers, posters (other than as permitted above), jewelry, printed buttons, or any novelty items.
  • (c) as slogans or inscriptions on envelopes, rubber stamps, book marks, letterheads, business cards, or any items of stationery.
  • (d) in any form or manner on any merchandise either offered for sale or to be presented as gifts or awards for commercial or personal use.

Reserved Right to Rescind

The foregoing Permitted Uses are to be considered a grant of use pursuant to a revocable license to the extent the use of materials from The Urantia Book exceeds that permitted by the doctrine of fair use, and all who avail themselves of Permitted Uses hereunder by their respective use or uses agree to cease any Permitted Use (to the extent it is not a fair use) if so requested by Urantia Foundation and to otherwise comply with these guidelines as they may exist from time to time. Urantia Foundation reserves the right not only to interpret but also to alter, amend, rescind or supplement these guidelines at any time in whole or in part without notice. The Urantia Foundation is the sole owner of all right, title and interest in and to all copyright claims of The Urantia Book. The foregoing Copyright Permission Guidelines do not constitute an abridgment, surrender or relinquishment of all or any part of such claim of ownership and its attendant rights.


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