© 1984 Urantia Foundation
¶ A Celebration and Review
Warm greetings to each of you as you read this in your respective homes during these traditional holiday times in so many different places.
This is a significant time in our historical development. and we would like to take a moment to review some important events.
Just next month. URANTIA Brotherhood will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of its founding in 1955, and URANTIA Foundation will celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of its founding in 1950.
For the last thirty-five years or so, these two organizations have been carrying on purposefully and relatively quietly in establishing the material underpinnings for the realization and support of a broader planetary upreach for a better state of world affairs. These two organizations, URANTIA Foundation and URANTIA Brotherhood, early accepted their role of quiet preparation and quickly settled down to their task of proceeding practically and patiently in taking the necessary steps of establishing the material, legal and organizational prerequisites for the success of the Urantia Revelation. Their task was not an easy one, nor was it always pleasant, but notwithstanding that there were sometimes sustained and vocal invitations into less promising byways, both organizations were true to their trust, and because of the quiet and selfless dedication of so many of their members over so many years, the Urantia Revelation has achieved a sure and certain foothold on this planet.
In looking back over the approximate last three decades. one can see the accomplishment of a number of important goals. Let us look at ten of these here, though there are more:
The copyright in and to The URANTIA Book was and is established and confirmed both at home and abroad.
The registered marks which helped give URANTIA Foundation and URANTIA Brotherhood and its constituent Societies their own unique identity which will avoid their confusion with other groups and organizations, and which will help identify them down through the years, have been established and successfully defended at home and abroad.
The URANTIA Brotherhood is well established and is operating more and more effectively with increasingly diverse and capable leadership. its committee system is maturing into a means for more and more effective coordinated group function with an augmenting widespread participation.
A French translation of The URANTIA Book is again available under the auspices of URANTIA Foundation. and with the full cooperation of URANTIA Brotherhood.
A plan for the realization of a Spanish and other translations of The URANTIA Book has been both archltected and implemented with the full cooperation of URANTIA Brotherhood.
A Finnish translation of The URANTIA Book has been and is still actively in progress and is nearing a point where we can with certainty anticipate its finalization and publication.
A special Perpetual Printing Fund for the English edition of The URANTIA Book has been established.
A new book distribution and pricing policy has been carefully considered, structured, adopted and implemented by URANTIA Brotherhood with the approval and support of URANTIA Foundation.
There are now approximately 135,000 of the English edition of The URANTIA Book available in the world. and in addition there are approximately 12,000 copies of the French edition of The URANTIA Book likewise in circulation.
Based on accumulated evolutionary experience, a definitive copyright policy has been developed and promulgated which will help others more freely and properly use, insofar as the legal requirements are concerned. material from The URANTIA Book.
Certainly the job of these two organizations is not finished but these ten accomplishments are in many ways essential and/or exceedingly important to the future stages of the development of the presentation of the Urantia Revelation to this planet, in looking back over the past thirty to thirty-five years, one can perhaps best characterize them as the organizational phase of the efforts to present the Urantia Revelation both wisely and effectively to mankind.
We are now embarked upon a new phase in the dissemination of the teachings of The URANTIA Book.
If the first phase of the URANTIA Movement was largely organizational in nature, then the next and present phase of the presentation of the Fifth Major Epochal Revelation to mankind consists in a studied, coordinated and concerted effort wisely to infuse into every level of modern civilization the directionalizing, promising and hopeful teachings of The URANTIA Book.
In so doing, we most assuredly will not be free from difficulties or misunderstandings, both personal and organizational. But we can take heart for we have benign organizations which, with wise and unselfish guidance and with freedom from compromising entanglements and association, can effectively coordinate the multifaceted efforts of willing readers both nationally and internationally.
More than ever before is the world assured that future generations of mankind will have and will be able to enjoy The URANTIA Book as it was given to us. And, too, more than ever before is the revelation in a position to go on more to generally benefit mankind, even to realize a new age of religion on our planet.
¶ A Big Step Forward - The Spanish Translation of The URANTIA Book
In further enhancing the dissemination of the teachings of The URANTIA Book. earlier this year. Andite Corporation, a subsidiary of URANTIA Foundation was formed to translate, publish and distribute a Spanish edition of The URANTIA Book. As many know, the Finance Committee of URANTIA Brotherhood has undertaken the task of helping Andite Corporation to reach its financial goal, in a recent report, the Finance Committee stated that significant progress has been made in raising actual funds. Andite Corporation is now in the process of further solidifying its financial base. Upon satisfactorily assuring its financial backing, a contract can be drafted and Signed and the actual translation commenced. Sincere thanks to all those who have quietly but effectively assisted in this grand goal.
¶ New Trustee Elected - Gloriann Harris
The Trustees are pleased to announce the election of Mrs. Gloriann Harris as a Trustee of URANTIA Foundation. Glorlann has faithfully and effectively served in various capacities as both a volunteer and as a professional within URANTIA Brotherhood and for URANTIA Foundation. We are all pleased to have Gloriann as a Trustee.
¶ Guidelines Regarding the Use of the Registered Marks
This page is out of date. To see the latest policies, please go to https://www.urantia.org/urantia-foundation/urantia-foundation-copyright-trademark-policies
From time to time the pages of this newsletter have been employed as a means to communicate information about legal matters associated with the work of URANTIA Foundation such as discussions of the use of our registered marks, copyright and sometimes lawsuits which the Foundation has been compelled to undertake. And, while many readers of this newsletter have expressed appreciation that we have shared this information, other readers have indicated a sense of discomfort when consideration onegal matters has been presented.We appreciate and understand this latter point of view: however. as legal matters are a necessary and unavoidable aspect of the Foundation’s functions, we believe it is important that you be informed about these matters to the extent we are able to do so in the brief format of this newsletter.
On this occasion we wish to address the matter of the use of our registered marks, the word URANTIA, and the Concentric-Circles Symbol. Periodically, we receive inquiries regarding the use of the registered marks. and we would like to take this opportunity to offer some guidelines to assist readers in understanding how the marks may and may not be used.
It is true that the word URANTIA and the Concentric-Circles Symbol have their foundation in The URANTIA Book. However, both the word URANTIA and the Symbol, have, through many years of continuous and exclusive use, become well-established as badges of identification for the goods and services provided by URANTIA Foundation and its licensees. URANTIA Brotherhood and its chartered URANTIA Societies (all of which are collectively referred to as the official organization). Given the Significance of the word URANTIA and the Symbol, and the identification function they have come to serve so well, they should be and are protected against misuse in some self-serving, commercial. or even degrading way by others.
As concerns the word URANTIA, while only the licensed official URANTIA organizations are entitled to use the word (and its derivations such as URANTIAN) as a service mark and/or a trademark (URANTIA Brotherhood), or as a service mark and/or collective membership mark (URANTIA Brotherhood and its chartered URANTIA Societies), it is fairly common and totally proper to make a written mention of the registered mark URANTIA when referring to names of the organizations such as URANTIA Foundation. URANTIA Brotherhood, a URANTIA Society, or in mentioning the title of the book. This is often done in newsletters, written speeches, programs, and so forth.
We are distinguishing here between two kinds of use:
- Use of the mark or the like as an identifier of a service or a product originating from or apparently approved by URANTIA Foundation. URANTIA Brotherhood. or one of its chartered Societies. This is not allowed without express license of URANTIA Foundation. These affiliated organizations may use the word URANTIA as an adjective in their names, and in other ways permitted by the Licensing Agreement. Uses not specifically authorized in the Licensing Agreement can be submitted to URANTIA Foundation for consideration conSistent with a broad range of policy and other considerations.
- Simply referring to the names of URANTIA organizations, which include the registered mark URANTIA, as in an informative text of one kind or another - or which do not imply the approval of those organizations or affiliation with those organizations. These are allowed without the need for prior permission.
We have noted that some, in preparing written materials, are unclear regarding those instances in which the word represents the name of the planet and those wherein it is the registered mark. and whether to use the upper or lower case form in these various instances. The lower case, Urantia, should be used only to refer to the planet and then in such a manner that it cannot reasonably be construed as a registered mark usage. In such usage, we ask that the word “planet” or “world” be used whenever possible before the word “URANTIA” because it makes it more clear that it is not being used as a registered mark. In any other instance, the upper case, URANTIA, should be used.
Perhaps the simplest rule to determine whether to write “Urantia” or“ URANTIA” is that Urantia is always a noun referring to the planet. URANTIA is virtually always an adjective modifying a noun.
The following are correct and incorrect usages:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| I live on URANTIA | I live on the planet Urantia |
| the geography of URANTIA | the geography of our world Urantia |
The following are commonly used terms, all of which take the upper case form to denote the trademark or service mark URANTIA, or a trade name usage of URANTIA in conjuction with another word:
| URANTIA Activities | URANTIA Foundation | URANTIA movement |
| URANTIA Service | URANTIA Brotherhood | URANTIA organizations |
| URANTIA publication | First URANTIA Society | the URANTIA Papers |
The URANTIA Book
Also note that “The” is part of the title of The URANTIA Book. When naming a study group, it is permissible to call it “North Pole Study Group of Students of The URANTIA Book.” but not “URANTIA Study Group of the North Pole.” The title of The URANTIA Book should be either italicized as it is in this newsletter, or underlined when it is typed or handwritten.
As is the case with the word URANTIA, the use of the Concentric-Circles Symbol is restricted to URANTIA Foundation and the licensed official URANTIA organizations. The necessary limitations of the use of the Symbol by individuals or nonlicensed groups is difficult for some to accept because the design of the Symbol so easily lends itself to jewelry and other personal expressions of loyalty to these supernal teachings and to our universe. Although each person’s private use of the Symbol is not something we could ever hope or even want to control, we do ask that you do not display publicly your personal use of the Symbol, especially at large gatherings except, of course, for the pins bearing the Symbol which are available to members of URANTIA Brotherhood. it is important to those organizations licensed to use the Symbol that the Symbol not become so commonly used that it would become lost to us as an identifier and then be used by any group for whatever purposes. We truly appreciate your cooperation regarding the use of the Symbol and trust you realize that your restraint is helping to build the strong foundation that future generations will thank us for.
¶ Excerpts from Letters
“I was delighted to receive my own copy of The URANTIA Book recently. At this point I would like to mention how I learned about your book”.
“I was going through an extremely difficult period of my life … the end of my marriage, the death of my father after a long illness, not to mention additional business pressures. Last August, I mentioned to a woman at work that I was frustrated that I could not find a book with sufficient depth to assist me through this period. She asked me a few more questions and then decided I would make an ideal URANTIA Book candidate so she lent me The URANTIA Book. I took the book with me for a week’s vacation in a wilderness setting and spent the following weeks reading it. My first and lasting impression of this book is thankfulness and relief to have finally come upon a book that tells the truth the way I had perceived it should be. Thanks to The URANTIA Book. I no longer look backwards: I look forward to an exciting future. For the first time in many years I am at peace within myself.”
¶ Quotation
““Salvation is the gift of the Father and is revealed by his Sons. Acceptance by faith on your part makes you a partaker of the divine nature, a son or a daughter of God. By faith you are justified; by faith are you saved; and by this same faith are you eternally advanced in the way of progressive and divine perfection.”” UB 150:5.3
A URANTIA® Publication
Published by:
URANTIA Foundation
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Chicago, IL U.S.A.