Re: KJV Bible - Crown Copyright in UK and Commonwealth
On Wed, Nov 09, 2005 at 05:43:33PM +1100, Andrew Donnellan wrote:
> Does the crown copyright on the KJV affect other Commonwealth
> countries e.g. Australia?
I don't know. If it hasn't been abrogated by the Australian
legislative body between independence and present, it does. I suppose
that Australia has passed one or more Copyright Acts since its
independence, so the answer is in there.
I did a quick Googling:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s8a.html
COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 8A
Prerogative rights of the Crown in the nature of copyright
(1)
Subject to subsection (2), this Act does not affect any
prerogative right or privilege of the Crown.
(2)
Where a right or privilege of the Crown by way of copyright
subsists in a work or published edition of a work, a person does
not infringe that right or privilege by doing, or authorizing the
doing of, an act in relation to the work or edition without the
licence of the Crown if, assuming that that right or privilege of
the Crown did not subsist in the work or edition, but copyright
subsisted under this Act in the work or edition and was owned by a
person other than the Crown, the person would not infringe the
copyright of that owner in the work or edition by doing, or by
authorizing the doing of, that act without the licence of the
owner.
(3)
Nothing in subsection (2) shall be taken to limit the duration of
the right or privilege of the Crown by way of copyright in a work
or published edition of a work.
So, it may be that the Crown still holds a copyright on the KJV of the
Bible, but printing, distributing or making derivative works or
anything else (except maybe moral rights things?) of the KJV does not
infringe on the Crown copyright. IANAL, so read yourself and check
that no other section cancels out that one for the KJV.
In particular, I don't understand
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s5.html .
--
Lionel
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