Urantia Foundation initiates lawsuit against Michael Foundation
Dear Readers of The Urantia Book,
Many of you are aware that Mr.
Harry McMullan III has published and
is now
distributing all but the first paper of Part IV of The Urantia Book as
a
separate volume. This publication, with Salvador Dalí's painting of
Christ
of St. John of the Cross on the cover, bears the title Jesus-A New
Revelation.
All efforts, on our part and on the part of numerous individuals, to
avoid
a confrontation with Mr. McMullan have been unsuccessful. Mr.
McMullan's
actions leave us with no choice but to defend the copyright in The
Urantia
Book through the United States legal system. The Trustees have filed
suit
to enjoin the Michael Foundation, Inc. (which was established by Mr.
McMullan and which publishes Jesus-A New Revelation) from its
continued
infringement of the copyright in The Urantia Book. This was a
unanimous
decision. In spite of this action, we are willing to continue to
engage in
dialogue to reach an amicable resolution if Mr. McMullan is
willing.
We feel that failure on our part to defend the copyright in The
Urantia
Book would be a violation of our duty and our trust, to deliver The
Urantia
Book to the world as it was delivered to us by the Revelatory
Commission-as
a complete and integrated whole. The Foundation's copyright in The
Urantia
Book makes possible the preservation of the inviolate text for the
next
fifty years. By that time, quality translations will be available so
the
majority of the world's peoples can read the book in their native
language.
Failure to defend the copyright would place the translation project
at
risk, prematurely frustrating our attempts to deliver high quality,
accurate translations to our non-English speaking fellows. This we
cannot
risk. After the copyright expires, the inviolate text will be
identifiable
by the registered marks: "Urantia" and the Concentric-Circles Symbol.
These too must be protected.
If the Foundation fails to defend the copyright, there are
individuals
waiting to use, misuse, and abuse the text. Without the protection of
copyright law during these years of the infancy of the revelation,
distorted and fragmented text could reach the world, with bits and
pieces
of truth commingled with error or distortion, resulting in further
confusion for Urantia. We doubt that even those who believe little harm
may
come from this separate publication would be pleased with the result
were
the Foundation to surrender its copyright in The Urantia Book.
There is much that readers can
do to disseminate the teachings of The
Urantia Book besides publish the book. Reader activities complement
the
Foundation's publishing and translation activities. We can work
together
cooperatively and in harmony. The fifth epochal revelation is a
preparation for the sixth epochal revelation, and each of us has a
responsibility to participate in preparing the soil for the implantation
of
this next epochal revelation.
We ask all readers to join us in supporting translations, printing,
and
worldwide distribution and in disseminating the supernal teachings of
the
book to our fellow man. Donated funds earmarked for projects such as
these
are not used on lawsuits. Let us move forward together as a
unified,
cooperative body of readers for the sake of the future stability of
our
young movement and for the sake of the Urantia Revelation.
Sincerely,
The Trustees of Urantia Foundation