[WikiEN-l] Re: King James version

[Ray Saintonge]

dpbsmith at verizon.net wrote:

>>Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 05:56:05 +1000
>>From: Skyring <skyring at gmail.com>
>>
>>That whole King James Bible issue was way outside my comfort zone!
>>-- 
>>Peter in Canberra
>>    
>>
>It's already been long enough that I've forgotten the issue... all I know is 
>that the King James Version of the Bible was among the earliest works 
>released by Project Gutenberg--in 1989. (In 2004 they released an English 
>version of the Douay-Rheims).
>
>I have to believe that Project Gutenberg knows is or is not in the public 
>domain, that after sixteen years the odds are that the British Crown knows 
>that Project Gutenberg is doing it, and if they haven't complained there is 
>probably a good reason.
>
The Crown Copyright issue here relates to an eccentric element in UK 
law, and would not be applicable anywhere else.  If it has stood up 
unquestioned for 16 years the doctrine of laches would likely apply.

It's hard to conceive of how the notion that the British had a copyright 
on the Word of God would play out in the American Bible Belt. :-)

Ec