Quote:
Originally Posted by Jellby
It doesn't seem something like that applies to this case. The Copyright page states some of the fees to pay, I doubt anyone would be allowed to distribute it for free. Of course, there's always the possibility that the information in that page be misleading and distribution be allowed anyway, but I wouldn't rely on that.
The right approach would be to write to the address provided and ask. |
Jellby, you probably don't know this if you didn't go to school in Sweden, but according to Offentlighetsprincipen you can go to Riksdagsarkivet or similar institution and request a copy of SOU 2000:100 which is a State deposition, but also happens to be the exact text for Bible 2000. You can also request to have it sent to your local library or pay the printing cost for your personal copy sent to you. Nowadays there is probably an electronic service too. SOU = Statens
Offentliga Utredningar = State
Public Depositions.
This applies to all citizens as far as I know. The translation was funded by mandatory tax payments to the Church of Sweden. Anyone born in Sweden before ca 1995 (I don't know the exact year) was automatically added as a member of the church and pays taxes to them unless they request to exit the church, which very few people do did. My Jewish cousins have never bothered exiting. This translation belongs to the people, who paid for it with tax money.
It's a unique situation due to the fact that before immigration virtually everyone was Lutheran and the assumption was that they'd want to be members of the Church. This was cancelled in the 1990s when moslem immigrants understandably objected.
Additionally, Offentlighetsprincipen is also more or less unique for Sweden.
There is nothing illegal about me as a citizen having a personal copy of any state documentation, certainly including SOU 2000:100.
Quite the opposite, the constitution explicitly supports it. It's my right as a citizen! The fact that I choose to format the text a bit, is my personal business.
When I did a law course in the late 1990s, the New Testament text for Bibel 2000 was available already, in this translation, and I remember distinctly the lecturer giving it as an example of how you could use the principle to get hold of the Bible for free - Just as an entertaining and memorable example of how this principle works in practice.
I even ran across it in the university library law Juridik (law) section complete with state emblem and deposition number. It was rather hilarious to see the bible like that, but that's what you get with a state church (those days are now over). If I had wanted, I could have requested a photocopy and put it in a binder. Et voila - my very own free bible. This was before everything was made available electronically.
This is a very boring subject and I frankly don't care what people think of it. I've got my personal Bible copy and I am certain I have broken no law.
You can write to them and ask if this troubles you, but I know I've got my ducks in a row so certainly won't bother. And as you well know if you live in Sweden, you won't get a response until they are back from their hols in early to mid August! Industrisemestern... Personally I am not bothered and those who want to continue discussing the legality of copying Bibel 2000 for Swedish citizens might want to start a separate thread. Don't count on my participation.
Just to illustrate how Offentlighetsprincipen works;
There was a very entertaining story late 1990s about how an angry Greek ex member of Scientology submitted the Scientology holiest and secret doctrine to the State in Sweden, as some kind of query. As a result, any citizen of Sweden was entitled to look at it and get a copy. And they did! The Scientology church was furious but couldn't initially do anything, since access to any state documentation is guaranteed by the Swedish constitution.
Eventually the USA interfered on behalf of Scientology, claiming copyright infringement by the Swedish state,
and forced Sweden to restrict access to the documents by making them state secrets. We hear and obey! Obviously the documents of Scientology has nothing to do with state security in Sweden, but I believe trade sanctions were a distinct risk. However before the US managed to bully Sweden into submission, enough people had read about Xenu and magical volcanoes on the Canary Islands - so their secrets were already out. This may have been insensitive towards the Scientology church but the man felt that he had been scammed of large sums of money, he knew he was far from alone, and this was a legal venue open for him to get his revenge before the internet was commonly available.