Executive
Summary
Urantia Foundation complaints regarding
The Urantia Book
Fellowship web site
May 8, 2000
The following comments summarize the views of the four individuals who met with representatives of Urantia Foundation on 8 April 2000 to receive comments on the web site operated by The Urantia Book Fellowship, and related matters.
Our charter and authority from the Executive Committee and the General Council was to receive all Foundation comments and, insofar as they did not involve executive or policy matters, to act on them as we saw fit, through administrative channels only. Thus, where we felt errors in relation to ideals of unity, ethics, and license had occurred, we have been able to set in motion a process of administrative correction. Where we felt the Foundation has erred in its interpretation of the web site, we have tried to set forth our position clearly below.
In our opinion, the remaining issues surfaced by the Foundation cannot be resolved without further dialogue. In some cases this results from uncertainty in our understanding of the Foundation’s complaint. Further communication may enable these matters to be resolved administratively. In other cases this results from a matter that touches on Executive Committee or General Council prerogatives, which we may not usurp, although we may have incidentally offered our own views of these matters. We emphasize that this does not mean these matters are unresolvable—only that their resolution requires the engagement of higher authorities within our organization.
Another aspect of the matters resolved below is that they could be disposed of without the need for legal counsel. The Executive Committee or the General Council may require legal review of some of the other issues before taking further action. We are open to further communication with the Foundation on all unresolved points with a view towards simplification of the overall process and amicable resolution; however, matters requiring Executive Committee action may also require discussion with the Trustees, as requested and expected. We concur in the feeling that, to be fully productive, such discussion should only occur after easier issues have been disposed of and remaining significant issues identified.
1. English version of UB text not as per Foundation’s Web site license policy:
1a. The text is not kept “inviolate.' (e.g., Uversa Press text; popup footnotes in text; commentary added to the index; first two papers not included in the index to Part IV. Copyright notice states, “excerpts . . . on this website have been transformed by the addition of an internal reference system designed to facilitate study, scholarship, and cross-referencing.)
The text presented is a very accurate reproduction of the text originally published by Urantia Foundation in 1955. Every subsequent change approved by Urantia Foundation over the years is footnoted. We believe this is the most complete, authoritative, and inviolate text of The Urantia Book available from any source at this time.
We have reviewed the popup footnotes and do not understand why the Foundation feels these violate the integrity of the text. We will need to communicate further to better understand the nature of the Foundation’s concern.
We assume by “index” the Foundation means the Table of Contents of the book. We were not aware that the Foundation, or anyone else, considered this to be part of the “inviolate text.” The organization we use on our website is intended to optimize file size and thus facilitate quicker transmission and reduced Internet latency for users in distant regions of the world.
While not of importance to the casual reader, the internal reference system is essential for any serious scholarship where precision in locating a particular paragraph is required or where accurate attribution of a source is desired. It is also important in the electronic environment in which page numbers no longer have any relationship to the pages of text as they are displayed on a web browser.
1b. “Personal Browser Edition' download version is not current text. Claims copyright in the format for the Fellowship.
The downloadable text is an accurate reproduction of the original 1955 text of the book.
The download itself lacked an appropriate copyright notice for the Foundation. We apologize for this omission. We have removed the download from the web site pending correction of this oversight.
The Fellowship claims no rights in the text. We place no restrictions on others’ use of the formatting, and freely permit its use by all.
1c. ASCII download version does not contain any copyright notice. No Italics in text.
It is correct that the download lacks an appropriate copyright notice for the Foundation. We apologize for this omission. We have removed the download from the web site pending correction of this oversight.
Italics cannot be reproduced in straight ASCII text. The loss of italics here is similar to the loss of italics in Urantia Foundation's audio version—the loss is a function of the change in storage and reproduction media. (For example, Urantia Foundation's audio version is unable to reproduce important formatting elements such as quote marks, exclamation points, parentheses, etc.)
2. Spanish version of UB text not as per Foundation’s Web site license policy (e.g., index includes unauthorized translation listed together with UF’s text. There are 3 versions of the Foreword.)
The comparative study of the Prólogo to El Libro de Urantia has been moved out of the Índice and into a directory with other derivative works and study aids, separate from the text itself.
3. Unlicensed display of unauthorized translations in Korean, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, and Russian
The display of French and Spanish texts is covered by the license granted by Urantia Foundation in 1998.
The remaining texts are partial translations created by readers, secondary works designed to serve as study aids for individuals in various language groups. They are presented on the website as works in progress to support our mission of worldwide dissemination of The Urantia Book and its teachings. These early translation efforts are an essential tool for introducing new language groups to the book.
We have added a notice to these partial translations clarifying their origin and lack of official approval by Urantia Foundation. We anticipate their replacement by authorized translations as those become available and can be prepared for web presentation.
4. (Currently Removed) Unlicensed display of Dr. William S. Sadler works
Although this is not an official request, the Fellowship would like permission to reinstitute the presentation of these works on the web site.
5. Fellowship Herald magazine uses UB text but does not acknowledge copyright.
This was an editorial oversight, for which we apologize. The matter has been brought to the editor’s attention. We intend to exert more vigilance in the future.
6. Urantia Book Illustrated on web site quotes over 20,000 words of UB without attribution or permission.
The Illustrated Urantia Book now contains a note of attribution and copyright, which has been added to the introductory comments at the top of the page. Although we have added this notice, we did not think its omission was problematical because the usage in this material was also addressed by our general notice regarding the copyright of all quotations from The Urantia Book appearing on the website.
We also note that this is a collection of individual works of art, each of which uses small amounts of text from the book, always with appropriate references. While the artist did not identify the source of these quotations in the art itself, except by reference, it seems to us that the introductory attribution and notice should be sufficient. In any case, no one work contains more than 200 words. Most contain about 120 words.
7. McMullan’s 21 Steps to a Spiritual Awakening quotes over 25,000 words of UB without permission. Fellowship website publishes this in English, Spanish and Portuguese
We have examined the contents of the “21 Steps” document and estimate that it contains approximately 15,000 words from The Urantia Book. The arrangement of these quotations is clearly original to the author and the text of the document adds significant value in the form of his own reflections on the passages quoted.
It is also our understanding that this work falls well within the Foundation’s guidelines for “Labors of Love”.
The portions of "21 Steps to a Spiritual Awakening" from The Urantia Book which have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese are original translations prepared by interested volunteers, and are not copies of Urantia Foundation translations. We will place a notice on the website to the effect that these are personal, and not official translations.
8. Fellowship is soliciting people to assist it in translating the complete Urantia Book into multiple languages in violation of international law.
It is vital to our mission that we have translations available for use in exposing individuals who speak many languages to The Urantia Book. We reiterate that, when an official translation becomes available from Urantia Foundation, it will be placed on the website.
9. Hyperlink to Michael Foundation, purveyor of the infringing work, Jesus: A New Revelation.
Michael Foundation is no longer distributing JANR. We have changed the description at http://urantiabook.org/ub_links.htm to reference the Index to The Urantia Book published by Michael Foundation. We believe this link constitutes an appropriate readership service.
10. Sample of anti-Foundation material.
A disclaimer has been added to the bottom of the Site Index page noting that the materials on the website were drawn from a broad spectrum of the readership and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of The Urantia Book Fellowship or the website staff. In general the website publishes most essays it receives, regardless of political orientation.
In general, anything having to do with organizational matters in the readership is confined to the history timeline. While space is provided for archiving and accessing such documents, there is no specifically political section of the website and specifically political commentary is not included in the primary areas of the website.
The volume of materials which contain specifically political commentary is between 3% and 5% of the total document collection. This means that, on the Fellowship website, between 95% and 97% of the documents available deal directly with matters related to study of The Urantia Book.
Nevertheless, since we are desirous of maintaining friendly and cooperative relations with Urantia Foundation, in that spirit we would be happy to review any specific items the Foundation brings to our attention which the Foundation believes are objectionable.
11. Urantianet being used in some places without the agreed disclaimer (per agreement reached in 1997)
We believe this claim was made in error. To the best of our knowledge, every page which contains a reference to "Urantianet" also contains a note to the effect that The Urantia Book Fellowship is unaffiliated with Urantia Foundation. This has been the case ever since the “agreement reached in 1997.”
It is impossible for anyone to sign up for this service without first encountering such a statement. Should Urantia Foundation know of a page containing information about Urantianet services upon which such a disclaimer is not provided, we should be informed so that we may correct the situation. All pages in the exhibit collection presented to us were found, on examination, to contain the appropriate disclaimer.
12. Infringement of trademarks “Urantia,' “Urantian' (e.g., www.urantiabook.org/index_studygroup_database.htm
We have removed the generic adjective “Urantian” from the heading of this page to avoid any possibility of confusion with official and authorized services of Urantia Foundation, which have also been identified by this term.
The graphic rendering of the word "Urantia" on this page is clearly marked as the name of our planet. We do not see any possibility of confusion between this animated, artistic rendering of the name of our planet and the stylized marks used by Urantia Foundation. However, in the spirit of goodwill and cooperative relations, we will remove this graphic rendering of the name of our planet pending further discussion and clarification of the Foundation's concerns about this and similar matters.
13. Www.urantiabook.org/bookshop/urantiabooks.htlm entitled “Best Prices on the Web for Urantia Books' says “Buy The Urantia Book!' and contains price list. Very confusing; it appears they are the source for The Urantia Book.
Individuals may purchase The Urantia Book from sources accessible through our website, sources with whom we have various agreements and whose services we promote. The website is designed to provide supplementary materials for readers and to stimulate new discoverers to purchase books. The texts on the website are not provided to compete with the printed text but rather to stimulate sales.
The price list, and accompanying referral to Good Cheer Press in no way makes it “appear” that we “are the source for The Urantia Book.” We are merely directing interested parties to a retail source for the book. Price lists are commonly used by booksellers to promote their retail services, which compete with other retail sources of the same material. If the Foundation believes that Good Cheer Press is engaged in unfair retail trade practices, they may wish to take the matter up with Good Cheer Press.
14. Registered Internet domain names violate Urantia Foundation trademarks: www.urantiabook.org, www.librourantia.org, www.librourantia.cl, www.urantialink.org, www.urantianet.org, www.urantiaweb.org.
These terms used in our domain names relate to the book and to activities planned and engaged in by readers of the book, and to the legitimate content of the website. The website clearly indicates that it is not affiliated with Urantia Foundation. No confusion is intended and we do not believe these usages are confusing.
We also note that www.urantiabook.org, www.librourantia.org, and www.librourantia.cl contain no Foundation trademark, but rather contain the title of the book, which is not registered as a trademark.
15. Fellowship has registered with Real Names as the owner of the name “Urantia,' “Urantia Book' and “Libro de Urantia.' This means several of the search engines list this link first as “Urantia RN' (similar in appearance to TM), causing confusion with Foundation’s trademarks
We reject the notion that the suppressed designation “RN” for a “real name” is similar to or could possibly cause confusion with “TM”.
The Real Names system is a key word registration service. “Urantia,” “Urantia Book,” and “Libro de Urantia” are key words related to the content of our website. This link descriptor directs inquirers to the largest archive of materials on the Internet relevant to study of The Urantia Book. At the same time, our early registration of this name assured that it would not be exploited by individuals who may be hostile to the revelation. We have maintained these Real Names registrations for more than two years. It is unclear why Urantia Foundation delayed a complaint about this until the present time.
16. Fellowship is meta-tagging the words “Urantia,' “Foundation,' “International Association,' “Urantia Book,' “Libro de Urantia.'
We reject the idea that these tags are in any way infringing or unethical. To the best of our knowledge, the only pages on our website which have the words “Urantia,” “Foundation,” “International Association,” “Urantia Book,” and “Libro de Urantia,” are documents which are related to these topics. It is the purpose of meta tags to help people locate information for which they may be searching. Our meta tags serve that purpose. If the word "Urantia Foundation" appears in one of our meta tags, it is because the related document either contains information about Urantia Foundation or links to Urantia Foundation's website.
17. Trademark violations of concentric circles symbol
We do not think the example provided by the Foundation constitutes any sort of infringement or generates any confusion of identity. The page in question is a reproduction of an historic early newsletter. This reproduced document happens to contain the concentric circles symbol as used prior to its registration as a trademark by Urantia Foundation.
While we do not understand why such presentation of the concentric-circle symbol in the context of authentic historical document would be objectionable to the Foundation, in the spirit of cooperation, we are willing to block out the image in question.
18. Violation of court’s confidentiality order re: Maaherra documents (e.g., Jacques Weiss page).
We are quite confused by this matter and certainly invite further communication. Not being parties to the Maaherra case, we did not receive any documents from the Foundation, nor did we receive the court’s confidentiality order. As far as we know, none of the documents displayed on our website originated from Maaherra’s discovery proceedings.
The example to which this item refers is an index of historic documents related to the first French translation of The Urantia Book. These documents have been contributed from a variety of readers in addition to those credited. If Urantia Foundation can be specific about which document is covered by the confidentiality order, we will remove from the website any documents contributed by anyone whose private collection is sealed by the confidentiality order.
19. Violation of Sadler copyright in Mind at Mischief in English and Spanish
We do not understand the Foundation’s objection or standing in this matter. Does the Foundation claim a copyright in this work? Our understanding is that this work is not currently protected by copyright.
20. Violation of Urantia Foundation’s confidential business records (translator’s agreement)
We do not believe the display of this document constitutes an abrogation of any confidentiality agreement between the Foundation and the Fellowship, or between the Foundation and the person from whom the document was received. Nevertheless, in the spirit of maintaining friendly and cooperative relations with Urantia Foundation, and since the Foundation appears feel strongly about the display of this document, we will remove it from the site.
21. Use of the name “The Urantia Book Fellowship”
Our organization has used the name "The Urantia Book Fellowship" continuously and publicly since June 1998. We have established an identity in this name and have made major investments of time, energy, funds, and goodwill in this name. This is the first time the Foundation has mentioned any possible disagreement over the use of this name. Since the name of our organization is determined by the General Council, any action with regard to the name lies beyond the administrative charter of our team. We note that we were informally advised of Urantia Foundation's intent to seek Federal trademark registration for the title of The Urantia Book. We do not understand how this would be possible since it is the name of a copyrighted book and not an identifier of any source of a product or service.
Respectfully submitted,
Steve Dreier
Marvin Gawryn
Marilyn Kulieke
Dan Massey