Well, I finally got The Letter that I hoped I'd never receive.
[Letterhead of the legal department at Patterson]
December 20, 2004Re: http://www.desinger.com/scriptures Dear Brother Desinger: It has come to our attention that posted on your Web site are collections of unquoted scriptures from various publications taken from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, copyrighted by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania ("Watch Tower"). Copyright infringement occurs when a person reproduces (by any means) and distributes copyrighted material without the copyright holder’s permission. This is true even if no profit is involved. While we appreciate that you may have good intentions, as a matter of policy Watch Tower does not grant permission for its copyrighted material to be distributed as you are doing. Therefore, we request that you remove the aforementioned collections of scriptures from your Web site. Please do not view this as a personal disapproval. Rather, this position is a policy that helps protect Watch Tower’s copyrights. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and send an expression of our warm Christian love and greetings. Your brother,
(signature of an Associate General Counsel)
We can understand why the legal department would need to object. They have to avoid dilution of copyright even if there is no violation. Although I believe that these small excerpts are allowed by the principle of fair use, there's a higher principle that we follow.
Jehovah told the Israelites not to eat pork and other foods. The Israelites didn't know why they couldn't eat them, but those who obeyed were protected and blessed. I don't know why the legal department doesn't want us to do this copying and pasting and formatting for the benefit of others. At the same time I hope that by obeying, we'll be protected from something that I know nothing about.
May Jehovah bless your efforts to grow closer to him!