© 1997 George Michelson-Dupont
© 1997 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
| Le Lien Urantien — Issue 4 — Summer 1997 — Contents | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 4 — Summer 1997 | After death |
By a judgment rendered on appeal at the beginning of June 1997, the URANTIA Foundation won its appeal in the trial which opposed it to Mrs. MAAHERA and the FELLOWSHIP. This decision, long awaited, strengthens the Copyright that the URANTIA Foundation holds on The URANTIA Book and its translations until 2035.
Let us briefly recall the facts:
Towards the end of the 1980s, and without the authorization of the URANTIA Foundation, which holds the rights to the URANTIA Book, Mrs. MAAHERA created a hypertext computer version of The URANTIA Book which allowed real-time searches across the entire text of The URANTIA Book.
This computer version, although very useful for students of The URANTIA Book, presented the formidable danger of being able to be modified at will and then redistributed to others. Thus, without knowing it, one could receive an altered text. It is clear that money was not Mrs. MAAHERA’s motive since she distributed this version for free, but the danger of seeing a text spread among the readership that was no longer that of The URANTIA Book was very real.
The Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation, whose primary duty is to preserve the inviolate text, had to react and therefore brought the case before the American courts in 1990 on the grounds of copyright violation. In parallel with these events, a crisis that had lasted for several years between the URANTIA Foundation and the URANTIA Fraternity found its tragic outcome in the separation of these two organizations and the “Declaration of Independence” of the future Fellowship.
Immediately, the latter triggered a violent anti-Foundation campaign and many readers, deceived by her false allegations, took up the cause of the Fellowship and of MAAHERA who thus became the first “martyr” of the URANTIA movement. At the same time, the President of the URANTIA Foundation at the time, Martin MAYERS, whose management methods were questionable, was dismissed from his duties.
Taking advantage of an error made by the URANTIA Foundation when renewing its copyright in 1986, Ms. MAAHERA counter-attacked by asserting:
In January 1995, Judge URBAM, relying on point No. 3, rendered a verdict in the first instance and declared the copyright illegal. He also declared that the registered trademarks were indeed the property of the URANTIA Foundation. (a very important decision for the future) Immediately, the URANTIA Foundation appealed this judgment to the higher judicial authorities.
The consequences of this judgment were immediate: the Fellowship decided to print a two-column version of the text of The URANTIA Book, a member of this organization even decided to publish the fourth part separately under the title “God’s Bible”, another group, dependent on the Fellowship, published the text of The URANTIA Book by adding geographical maps, a concordex and even a summary of the trial between The Foundation and Maahera.
On the other hand, while the Foundation was completing the Russian and Korean translations, the Fellowship was supporting new Russian and Korean translations, thereby threatening to extend the division of the Urantia movement to other countries and other continents.
In 1996, and during a heated vote by its General Council, the Fellowship decided to join Maahera in his fight against copyright and wrote to this effect to the court ruling on appeal.
Finally, a fierce financial competition began for the sale of the different editions, leading the two organizations into a suicidal and ruinous bidding war to lower prices. We found ourselves in the paradoxical situation where the richest country in the world could afford the URANTIA Book at the lowest price, namely less than 100 FF, while other countries paid 150 FF and more.
In a desire for reconciliation, the URANTIA Foundation proposed a meeting with the principal directors of the Fellowship in January 1997, during which they were offered intelligent cooperation instead of competition. A summary of the decisions taken at this meeting was published in Link No. 3. In response, the Fellowship decided, in a vote of its General Council in February 1997, to continue their printing and translation efforts.
EPILOGUE:
Two weeks ago, the American courts ruled on appeal, restoring URANTIA Foundation’s copyright.
A great opportunity is offered to us to be able to make peace, seek reconciliation and heal the wounds that this rupture may have caused with those who wish it and the Foundation reaches out to people of good will and individuals who are ready to find unity.
Let us recall that the Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation have the heavy responsibility of preserving the text of The URANTIA Book from any alteration, modification or falsification and of ensuring the quality of the translations in order to allow the people of the whole world to access the Revelation. This is why, the Revelators had requested, as early as 1925, that the contact commission take measures to protect The URANTIA Book by copyright when it was published in 1955.
But let us not delude ourselves and remain lucid because others want the defeat of the URANTIA Foundation and a new battle will begin: that of registered trademarks.
P.S. In completing this history I have just learned that Mrs. MAAHERA has just appealed the decision of the Court of Appeal. The latter must rule on the admissibility of this request. If it is accepted, the final judgment will be rendered by the Supreme Heart of the United States. But, there is a high probability that this request will be rejected and the judgment on appeal becomes final.
To be continued…
Georges Michelson-Dupont
Trustee of URANTIA Foundation.
| Le Lien Urantien — Issue 4 — Summer 1997 — Contents | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 4 — Summer 1997 | After death |