Vatican 'cashes in' by putting price on the Pope's copyright

[cyberpj]

Vatican 'cashes in' by putting price on the Pope's copyright
From Richard Owen in Rome
January 23, 2006

THE Vatican has been accused of trying to cash in on the Pope’s words after it decided to impose strict copyright on all papal pronouncements.

For the first time all papal documents, including encyclicals, will be governed by copyright invested in the official Vatican publishing house, the Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

The edict covers Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, which is to be issued this week amid huge international interest. The edict is retroactive, covering not only the writings of the present pontiff — as Pope and as cardinal — but also those of his predecessors over the past 50 years. It therefore includes anything written by John Paul II, John Paul I, Paul VI and John XXIII.

The decision was denounced yesterday for treating the Pope’s words as “saleable merchandise” and endangering the Church’s mission to “spread the Christian message”.

cont'd...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2005615,00.html

[0007]

1. If only Jesus could have done the audio, the video, the tilly!

But would Jesus have copy rights to all his famous utterances and deeds?

[Vidar]

2. Sounds like a republican

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. Close enough: His Holiness was in the Hitler Youth. n/t

[reality based]

4. I'm not buying

I can't imagine it but I think they're going to make themselves irrelevant. "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22:17 (NIV)

[JVS]

5. These documents are largely ignored even when they are free.

This isn't going to get people to pay more attention

[grumpy old fart]

6. How much for the indulgence? Pope back in the fund raising business, eh?

Another crusade to fund?

[CatholicEdHead]

7. The Pope is always in the fundraising business

This will only restrict the movement of the writings even more. This short term monetary gain will not last.

[Strong Atheist]

8. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=46337#46341

:evilgrin:

[emad]

9. Vatican invokes papal copyright

Barbara McMahon in Rome
Monday January 23, 2006
The Guardian


A row has broken out in Rome about whether the speeches and writings of Pope Benedict should be freely available to everyone or subject to copyright.

The dispute was prompted by revelations that a publishing house in Milan had to pay £10,000 to reprint 30 lines from the first speech by the Pope following his election in April, after the Vatican transferred copyright on papal texts to its own publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. The Vatican also plans to charge rights on any papal texts of the past 50 years.

"I am perplexed," said Vittorio Messori, who has co-authored two books with two popes. "The Church is an organisation that exists to spread the word of God and levying a duty on those words, putting a smell of money on it, seems to me to be a very negative thing."

The Union of Catholic Booksellers and Publishers has also complained.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,1692693,00.html

[PATRICK]

10. The doctrinal perfectionist

wants total control of his own words and revisions so they won't be put under an open and public scrutiny. He never did that in his deliberations about people he passed judgment on and he sure isn't going to let a small thing like the public nature of papal speeches give someone a chance for open payback. The implications of this could be the man is mad as a march hare over his lifetime obsessions. Or the less than popular successor to John Paul isn't getting the same revenue form post cards.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. The corporate church?

sounds like they are taking lessons from the american protestant evangelicals. talk about a mega-church...

[CatholicEdHead]

14. Maybe that Vatican Bank scandel we always hear about

is still having effects behind the scenes.

[crikkett]

12. Catholic church takes a lesson from Scientology

Scientology is so successful today because of its jealous protection of copyright (certain 'doctrines' are kept hidden from public and new initiates).

Hiding the truth is evil.
:evilfrown:

[Poll_Blind]

13. Previous to Martin Luther, the Catholic priest stood between a....

....paritioner and the word of G*d. Now, the Catholic church wants money to come between a paritioner and the word of G*d. Yes, I know that the Pope's writings are not the word of G*d, per se, but they're close enough, as viewed by paritioners, as to be the same thing.

PB

[Strong Atheist]

15. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=46337#46341

:evilgrin: