Sunday, June 27, 2010

Permission was granted for reprinting what?

City News recently ran an article on “Action taken to Rectify Citation Issues” regarding Kong Hee’s plagiarism of certain articles and infringement of copyright by claiming copyright when he printed them in his books “Renewing your Spiritual…” KH claimed he and others concerned “had taken measures to do what is necessary to put things right”. What caught my attention was the statement, “One such example is portions that were taken from “The Leadership Bible, New International Version.” In March 2010, Kong’s editorial team wrote to publisher Zondervan Publishing House to seek permission to reprint these portions in the Daily Devotion. The Leadership Bible is authored/edited by Sid Buzzell, Kenneth Boa and Bill Perkins. Permission was granted the following month, stating that “since [the request to reprint] falls under our fair use guidelines (you are using less than 500 words), Zondervan is happy to grant permission at no charge”. The article can be read here http://www.citynews.sg/CNnewspaper/cnjune2010p22/

I am a little curious as to the exact nature of their request for re-producing the articles. 1) Did they SPECIFICALLY STATE their request was to print some of the articles/notes from the Leadership Study Bible? 2) Or did they JUST REQUEST TO reproduce from the Leadership Bible? There is a difference depending on how the written request is crafted. If it is the latter request, Zondervan could be thinking the request is to reprint the NIV BIBLE TEXT IN A COMMERCIAL REFERENCE, not for reprinting of the articles. Looking at Zondervan’s above reply, this may be the permission granted Kong’s team. Zondervan’s reply is based on fair use of the NIV text which is freely given. Just look inside any Zondervan-published Bible. Stated in the inside page is “the NIV TEXT may be quoted in any written form…, up to and inclusive of 500 verses without express written permission of the publisher…” They have written fair use guidelines but it is meant for the NIV text and these guidelines are worded very closely in Zondervan’s reply to KH’s team.

The articles/notes in the Leadership Study Bible are however a different thing. In any study/devotional Bible, these are the intellectual property of the person who wrote them, not necessarily the publisher. Just check any study Bible to ascertain this. In the case of the Leadership Bible, the copyright remains with Buzzell & Boa and so Zondervan has no right to grant permission for anyone to re-print them. In mid-March, I did query Buzzell & Boa as to their copyright ownership of the Leadership Study Bible articles. They replied (in their own words) “Zondervan turned the rights to the material over to the authors” (i.e. Buzzell & Boa). So how can Zondervan grant permission in April 2010 (according to City News) to reprint the articles? In fact, the articles/notes from the Leadership Study Bible have already been re-printed by Buzzell & Boa in other books by other publishing houses. KH’s excellent backup team can ascertain this for themselves.

So many questions to ask over what is a simple copyright issue! Did KH’s team SPECIFICALLY ASK to reprint the articles/notes from the Leadership Study Bible? HOW CAN Zondervan grant permission for the reprint of something they have no copyright to? Is the Buzzell & Boa team MISTAKEN in thinking they have copyright to the articles? Has the Buzzell & Boa team’s publishing houses INFRINGED ON COPYRIGHT by printing the Leadership Study Bible articles in the books of Buzzell & Boa?

I sincerely hope this article will be helpful to KH’s team to make the necessary clarifications. After all, they should try to be sure so as to avoid more legal complications of infringement of copyright should they reprint “Renewing your Spiritual…”

8 comments:

  1. Hey Cheat Grace,

    I honestly feel sad that even after you posted that your work was done, it's out of your hands and in God's, you still need to go on like this.

    I feel even worse that there are people who are far more interested in questioning your heart and your motivations (which will ultimately be judged by God) than looking at the evidence you painstakingly gathered (which is obvious to all).

    I know you have done a great service to us (whether others thank you for it or not), but I hope that you will only pursue this matter as far as your peace allows. In order words, I hope this will not become an unhealthy obsession with you.

    Thanks again for your work in investigating this matter with diligence. I, for one, respect the work you have done. Thanks! :D

    JJ

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  2. The article at CityNews has no mention of this blog with all the evidences. I think they tried to minimize the severity of the committed plagiarism in two ways. First, they didn't mention that the Renewing Your Spiritual Life's disclaimer and claims of copyright over all the materials in those copies. Second, the news ends with testimonies by locals who feel that they are blessed by those devotionals, hence it gives the impression that it is okay to plagiarize since it is beneficial for these members.

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  3. wow, someone's sitting on a damn high horse.
    Yes sir! No sir! Thanks sir! *rolls eyes with disdain*

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  4. Thanks cheatgrace..

    obviously the church has done it once again... to white-wash the details so as to quickly sweep it under the carpet..

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  5. JJ, tanx for your advice and encouragement. Its good advice for anyone. Don't get obsessed with anything you do, even in God's kingdom. It can become your idol and replace God, whether it is building the biggest church in Asia, writing a Christian best-seller or others. Its always God first in the heart before claiming to others that its God first in the heart

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  6. Cheat Grace has a specific motivation against a specific church - CHC. But why he approved my previous comment about NCC?

    Now I know he supports NCC while he hates CHC? I thought God teaches people like him to love one another. And revenge should belong to God, not to him.

    That's why he is named as Cheat Con Grace.

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  7. Now you know? Just because you say you know means you really know the facts? Hahaha, even if you are a moron, please try not to let everyone know. LOL

    As you can see I have even published the purported address of mine that claim to have dug up. Like I said, even if you are a moron, try not to let others know so easily. LOL

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  8. On second thoughts I decided to delete your posts claiming to post my address. Don't want anyone victimized because of your stupidity.

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