Editor Aparigraha Jain
Editor Carla Geerdes
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This is as strange as generating copyrights on human genes. Why not chain Mahavira himself under copyright law? There is no limit for the descending into special interests. |
Let us ask, if Smt. VC Sudhamahi Regunathan actually has an exclusive contract with Acharya Mahaprajna covering all rights on Anekant - The Third Eye as well as forThe Quest for Truth (and all other books published by the university in the last time) like she wants to make us believe, when she writes in her mail:
“...The copyright rests with the University and anybody else’s permission is of no relevance.”
see original mail: [Smt. VC Sudhamahi Regunathan Revoked Cooperation]
| “...The copyright rests with the University and anybody else’s permission is of no relevance.” Smt. VC Sudhamahi Regunathan [2005] |
An exclusive contract means, that the author handed over all his rights on his work and receives the highest material value he can get.
Under exclusive contract all kinds of merchandising are in the hands of the copyright owner and no longer in the hands of the author.
Is this type of “deal” really thinkable in this context?
Those who agree, look into a future deprived of all rights.
But we have to remember that Acharya Mahaprajna is the “spiritus rector” of the university, as well as the head of Terapanth and it is him, the original owner of the literary, intellectual property who advises the institution to translate and publish his writings as hardcover books.
A “deal” is baseless. An exclusive contract with a saint covering all rights on a spiritual subject, unthinkable!
Dr. Ramjee Singh, former vice-chancellor of J.V.B.I., explained it this way to Karuna [Editor] in 2000:
”The university is only the publisher of Acharyashree’s writings; the author himself is the owner of the rights. When he gives permission, no more permission is needed.” His words were, “Acharyashree said so, and this is all you should consider. His words are law here. Do not worry for copyright; this is a spiritual issue and not a material one. But even while regarding it under worldly aspects, the author’s permission is the most important.”
| J.V.B.I.’s Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ramjee Singh [2000] |
Acharyashree as originator has not to ask J.V.B.I. or any vice-chancellor for permission to allow any other use of the content of his books anywhere.
The task of J.V.B.I. as a publisher is to publish the books and nobody else.
This is a limited task under a limited right.
So what?
Was it really necessary to attack HereNow4U from behind?
We had faced J.V.B.I. ’s Vice-Chancellor Sudhamahi Regunathan personally in January this year in Ladnun with the magazine and the ”first 10 days of Anekant excerpts” online published.
Yes, we were unhappy that she didn’t send any answer to our prior requests and so we thought we should bring it personally before her eyes to get an answer finally.
Her answer was “Nice work”, not “take it out”. We accepted this as truth in the spirit of cooperation, advised by Acharyashree some days ago.
Dissimulation at that time and now turning from cooperation into competition - that might be signals to be understood at a given time.
Up to now, we have never seen a conflict between our different media.
Online versions always promote coresponding offline products - not reducing their market position, as often believed by backwards oriented people. Immediately after returning to Germany, we continued to promote J.V.B.I. ’s activities.
Our online magazine is indeed a different media and another kind of product compared to a printed book.
No reason for competition.
Since 2000 we are asked by Acharya Mahaprajna to spread the message of Mahavira, especially in Germany and the West. We believed in the truth of Acharyashree’s words and the purity of his intentions.
18 months ago we developed a new concept for this task and started the Edition 2 of HereNow4U online magazine with a new CMS (content management software).
Now we were able to publish easily in different languages and to connect information, given in lectures, books, articles etc. by links to a glossary and back to reference articles for each detected subject, showing their relevance in multi views, focussing on wide informative aspects including all reachable background information.The net of linked information tracking through the magazine has grown constantly. The increasing traffic shows that this concept is highly accepted and effective for the readers.
Everybody speaks English in the western world. So our German readers surprised us with requests to receive our English newsletter. We found out that those in Germany who are interested in ethics and Jainism all speak English very well and 80% of them are permanent readers (coming back).
Many others came because of our documentation about Acharya Mahaprajna’s and the Sangh’s past and current activities. Their main reason to visit us was the need of additional or brand-new informations, as our research through publications of the last years brought up articles and news of those days that we filed under their actual date, updating compilation through moving back in time.
This way the English version of HereNow4U became the most important and relevant part of our concept, while we continue our German translation work, whenever we feel able to do it.
We are learning to understand Jainism everyday by the content we are researching, translating and publishing. What we understood, we have linked to the relevant subjects wherever published in the magazine before. This way we got very deep into a special kind of daily living in an awareness of learning, structuring, and publishing and showed the result Acharyashree in Ladnun, February 2005.
When we were forced to remove the content of Anekant - The Third Eye and The Quest for Truth, we had to remove hundreds of links and months of study and experiences as well.
Our readers are shocked too - a lot of questions arrived, we cannot answer at the moment.
People in educational and spreading the message positions and organisations feel hit and hurt.
So do we.
This smashed door in the face of many is not the right signal for Jain values to be save and prosperous.
Free falling in trusting the Spirit of Mahavira and ourselves is one thing.
Booking his message behind copyright walls another.
Nothing to fear.
TheFreeDictionary.com’s Quote of the Day, 23rd June 2005:
Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature,
God's image,
but thee who destroys a good book,
kills reason its self.
John Milton
(1608-1674)