In 1995 the BBTi, an imposter organisation, which has nothing to do with Srila Prabhupada’s original BBT, tried to steal the BBTs copyrights, by faking a "transfer of copyrights" in order to illegally usurp the BBT.
On the left side, the image shown is of the first page of the copyright record of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (can be seen in point 1). These copyright records are submitted and are stored with US Copyright Office in DC. This is where authors generally register a copyright to protect their works from being used unauthorizedly. This record acts as an ownership proof. Srila Prabhupada's books were being copyrighted here since 1968. Copyrights are governed by US Federal Laws.
Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-Gita As It Is was first registered in 1968, the paperback version. The McMillan edition was registered here in 1972. Later when BBT editors unauthorizedly modified the Gita, that was also registered here. All the while the owner of the copyright, one who owns the book, was BBT. And the author was listed as His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Then in 1995 it was all changed. BBTI, another legal entity only formed in 1988 with no connection to BBT, stole these copyrights through a fake transfer of copyright to it. The new copyright record of BG As It Is, that you see to your left, was registered in 1995. You can click on the images to see the full record, view page one & page two in the picture below
Quiz: Please find the name of Srila Prabhupada in the copyright record!
Ans: You cannot! Author has been replaced by BBT (Point 2 a) , and this work was made by "Worker for Hire" (ticked "yes" box below the Author line).
In effect what this copyright record signifies is that Bhagavad Gita As It Is was authored by the BBT, which hired Srila Prabhupada as its worker!
Would you like to do something about this insult to Srila Prabhupada? Would you like to do something about this Great Theft?
Yes, there is a movement now underway to force BBTI to give these stolen copyrights backto Srila Prabhupada's BBT where Srila Prabhupada will be acknowledged and revered as its author.
Please Spread this Info to all your friends, who might not know about it.
The BBT is NOT the BBTI
A short history of the BBT
Srila Prabhupada writes:
Memorandum to All ISKCON Centers
My dear disciples,
Memorandum to All ISKCON Centers
My dear disciples,
Please accept my blessings. Now that our ISKCON is growing into a huge, world wide organization, it has come to my attention that sometimes centers are printing my literature, taking collection and spending all outside the jurisdiction of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. This must not go on.
I specifically formed the BBT to invest in it exclusive rights for the printing of all literature containing my teachings, writings and lectures. In this way the collections are to be divided fifty percent for printing new books and fifty percent for construction of temples.
The BBT can authorize a center to print, as in the case of foreign translations, with the agreement that when the foreign printing becomes financially solvent they will pay royalties to the BBT. But all printing of ISKCON literature must be by the BBT or under their sanction and approval.
If temples print independently it will be at the cost of the books I am, myself printing, and could eventually cause the financial ruin of the BBT, meaning I could not order new books from the printer or have sufficient funds for construction of temple projects.
I trust this is now clear and you will all do the needful. If you have any questions in this matter you can write me directly or consult with the GBC representative. (Letter to: All ISKCON Centers - Vrindaban 14 March, 1974)
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This is a very interesting letter from Srila Prabhupada, with many interesting points. One of which that stands out predominantly is, Prabhupada has said "jurisdiction of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust." The word jurisdiction has a very specific meaning and that meaning is of a legal nature.
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has been abandoned by the devotees now publishing the changed books of Jayadvaita Swami and Dravida and company. Furthermore they have taken shelter of a bogus concocted unauthorized organization masquerading as the BBT, under the name of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International (BBTI) and doggedly refuse to keep in print for mass distribution the authorized approved original books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
But Krishna Books Inc. (KBI) has made its divinely orchestrated appearance to save the day and it is fitting the specific criterion Srila Prabhupada has established of who is authorized to Print his books. KBI Is directly licensed and authorized under the direct jurisdictionof the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (as is mentioned in this letter) to print and distribute Srila Prabhupada's authorized original books and is doing so under the BBT's sanction and approval (as is specifically outlined in this official letter).
It is important to understand the history of the BBT, the BBTI and the BBP so I will make a very brief history outline for the benefit of us all:
Srila Prabhupada established the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) on May 5th 1972, founded by Srila Prabhupada for publishing, protecting and preserving his transcendental literary works meant to bring about a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Srila Prabhupada, understanding the age we are in, and the state of his disciples, specifically meant this legal trust to not have any connection with ISKCON in-case the society failed, his books would survive unchanged, intact and continue to be read and distributed.
Then 11 years after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance, members of the ‘GBC’ lead by Harikesa Swami met in 1986 and conspired to dissolve the BBT by establishing two unauthorized, impostor, concocted organizations called the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International (BBTI) (notice the name is almost exactly the same, only the ‘International’ has been added) to transfer the copy rights into. The other, called the Bhaktivedanta Book Publishing (BBP) to transfer all the assets/funds into.
Luckily they failed to transfer the copy rights to their new bogus BBTI organization. But now having two new organizations that are fully under their control and not at all bound to any of the laws and rules for the members of Srila Prabhupada's BBT that Srila Prabhupada established, they secretly used this new unauthorized organization to conduct all their affairs through.
After this insidious attempt at hijacking, all the books that have been produced and distributed by the BBTI were still presented as if they were printed under Prabhupada's BBT. Of course this is a lie that helped conceal what had taken place, keeping the general community of devotees in the dark - who will protest to something unknown?
This went on for years without being discovered by any one until recently.
This is an important point because the BBTI (not the BBT) hold the copyrights for the unauthorized books published by Jayadvaita and company, not Srila Prabhupada's authorized original books! The copyrights for the original books are now still safe in Prabhupada's original BBT and have never been transferred to the BBTI. The books published by the BBTI are not the books referred to in the letter above! They are unauthorized books published by Jayadvaita and company. According to the letter written by Srila Prabhupada above we should not be distributing/buying their books, sending them money or supporting these two unauthorized organizations in any way.
The unauthorized, impostor, concocted organizations BBTI and BBP have nothing at all to do with Srila Prabhupada’s original BBT established in 1972.
The BBTI now, due to legal manipulations, is masquerading/Doing Business As (DBA) the BBT and have befooled the whole movement, and for all practical purposes put the BBT to sleep. The BBTI is now the organization printing books that the innocent uninformed cheated book distributers are ignorantly supporting. The BBP is where all the funds go that are supposed to go to BBT. When someone writes a check out to the BBT it is quietly funneled off to the BBP instead. That means that if your now buying changed books from the BBTI and paying for them in trust that your money is going where Srila Prabhupada wanted it to, then you are wrong, your being cheated. Your money is being stolen from the BBT and given to the BBP to be done with what ever the persons involved in the BBP want to do with it. They are not accountable to Srila Prabhupada, to the rules that Srila Prabhupada specifically established for his publishing house - the BBT, or for that matter anyone but themselves. Furthermore the changed books by Jayadvaita and Dravida and company are not BBT books they are BBTI books that are illegally using the BBT name and trademark! The BBP and the BBTI are not the BBT so they have no obligation to abide by or function according to all the laws that Srila Prabhupada established for his book trust and the designated rules that the persons involved are supposed to be following. This must be clear that they are not at all accountable to anyone but them selves. By the way, the BBP is run by an alcoholic smoker. It was to these two unauthorized ‘shadow’ corporations that Harikesa and company tried to then transfer the copyrights to and also all the money that was generated from book sales.
BBTI not BBT hold the copyrights for all these new unauthorized changed books that are printed and distributed by the simple, innocent, uninformed book distributors. So yes, you got it, that means that the changed book distributers are not working for the BBT or for Srila Prabhupada at all, they are working for a separate fraud organization never approved of or blessed by Srila Prabhupada. This unauthorized organization is so bold that they are trying to dupe the innocent devotees by illegitimately printing the name BBT in and on the bogus BBTI books of Jayadvaita Swami. Also the money they collect and ignorantly send to the BBTI thinking it is the BBT, does not even go there it is usurped and rerouted to the nonsense organization called the BBP That is Doing Business As (DBA) the "BBT." So the funds we send to BBT never get there they are thwarted and rerouted not to Srila Prabhupada's BBT but to some (karmie nonsense smoker and drinkers) organization called the BBP and the innocent uninformed cheated book distributers are ignorantly supporting all this.
It also should be noted that since the failed legal attempt to usurp the copyrights from the BBT to the newly created unauthorized fraud organization started by Harikesa, the BBTI, the persons running the BBTI have officially stated that Srila Prabhupada was nothing more then an indentured employee to write books for their use and nothing more! So Srila Prabhupada went from bing the Guru, Acharya, worshipable divine master and sole author of his books to merely being an ‘author for hire’! Just some employee doing some menial tasks. According to them Srila Prabhupada was ISKCON’s hired worker and nothing more – He was on the same level as any other indentured worker and deserves no more respect then a hired karmie pot washer does. ISKCON supplied Prabhupada with room and board, dictation machine, paper, pen… And Prabhupada worked for his room and board. Thats all… This is the way that this bogus organization views our divine master Srila Prabhupada, the jagat guru and world acharya. This is indeed a great offense to not only His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, but to the parampara he is representing.
Hare Krishna!
How were the copyrights transferred to the BBTI?
First of all we have to understand that the BBTI is an impostor organisation and has nothing to do with Srila Prabhupada's original BBT. The BBTI just tries to control the BBT, that’s all.
ISKCON and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. (BBTI) are NOT the authentic Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) founded by Srila Prabhupada for publishing his phenomenal works. Srila Prabhupada's Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) is a legal trust and has no connection with ISKCON and the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc., (BBTI) a California corporation formed in 1988, 11 years after Srila Prabhupada departed from this world. Srila Prabhupada established the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in 1972, and in 1974, appointed Hansadutta dasa BBT trustee for life with these words: "The temples may go, the devotees may go, but my books will live forever."
So, how then were the copyrights transferred to the BBTI? They never where. Hansadutta did NOT "signed over" the copyrights to the BBTI, he only resigned as a trustee.
What Hansadutta did was to resign officially from his post as the BBT Trustee, to which Srila Prabhupada has appointed him life-long (even in writing). The so-called copyrights are still with the BBT, but the problem is that the original trustees of that Bhaktivedanta Book Trust have either resigned or fallen away, so the book trust (BBT) itself is not functional at present, being bereft of its original trustees. That is the real issue and problem. Legally it is very questionable if the bogus BBTI can take over the BBT by getting their own man signed in (into the BBT) with the help of Hansadutta's resignation.
Because of Hansadutta's official resignation as a BBT Trustee (at the court case) the bogus BBTI now thinks to put their own man into the BBT and thus control everything.
The BBTI is an illegal impostor corporation created by ISKCON, which has absolutely no legal rights over Srila Prabhupada's books. They just want to usurp the BBT and control all of the money and printing. The court case against Hansadutta was to contest Srila Prabhupada's own originally created BBT in court, trying to degrade Srila Prabhupada to a mere scribbling of ISKCON and a hired servant of the BBT-I Inc. By suing Srila Prabhupada's lifelong appointed trustees, the bogus BBTI managers thought to get the control over the BBT.
That Hansadutta has resigned from being a BBT trustee is unfortunate, but it does not mean that automatically the bogus BBTI has the printing rights. This is not the case. The rights are still with the BBT only, which at present is disintegrated because it has no more functional trustees. So the BBTI is NOT Srila Prabhupada's BBT at all and they absolutely have no claim to the copyrights on Srila Prabhupada's books.
Unfortunately Hansadutta agreed to a court settlement in which he was offered by ISKCON/BBTI to privately print books outside of ISKCON if he officially resigns as BBT Trustee, and this Idiot (by the advice of his lawyer Gupta) went for it. He betrayed Srila Prabhupada by resigning from his service personally given to him by Srila Prabhupada (to print original books as BBT Trustee).
Srila Prabhupada wanted the BBT to be separate from ISKCON, but Hansadutta being a BBT Trustee resigned from his post, playing the original BBT into the hands of ISKCON GBC-clones, with Dryadwaita Swami on their head, who is perverting all of Srila Prabhupada's original translations, without being checked by anybody.
Hansadutta voluntarily renounced the Sacred Trust as lifetime GUARDIAN of Srila Prabhupada's books for the right to print books outside of ISKCON for personal profit, in any way he likes, with no checks and balances, just to make quick bucks with his own privatised company, by his personalized rights to privatise Srila Prabhupada's books, for himself only. How selfish. How foolish. How unfortunate. What an idiot. What a fool.
The only non-negotiable thing was for him to remain Srila Prabhupada's BBT Trustee as per his order (as his re-established BBT trustee). As BBT Trustee, it was his fiduciary responsibility to fight an appeal to uphold Srila Prabhupada's original BBT Trust, with himself as his appointed trustee.
By appointing Hansadutta as a BBT trustee, Srila Prabhupada knew very well that despite his bad habits and artificial fall-downs, he still had the POTENTIAL to save His BBT from the inevitable book changers and political managers that rushed to change His books even before He went into His final Samadhi.
Srila Prabhupada's original books are not separate from ISKCON so that the BBT Trustees would have the power to demand the purity and obedience to Srila Prabhupada before licensing publishing rights to any branch of ISKCON. In that way, the BBT Trustee was created as the ultimate watchdog of the standards of ISKCON.
But Hansadutta has rejected his service of protecting the integrity of Srila Prabhupada's book-setup, by not getting a court settlement of being re-established as Srila Prabhupada's appointed BBT Trustee. On the opposite, he gave up his post to the KING of the book-changers, Jayadwaita Swami. Not only will the BBTI now NOT be forced to rectify the changed books of the Pure Devotee, but the book-changing fox has been locked in with the chickens! It is hilarious, one does not know if to laugh or cry. Srila Prabhupada wanted him, as his BBT Trustee, to protect his books but he has betrayed him by selling out to the greatest demon and book-changers for a cheap settlement of personal publishing rights.
This is most fatal:
In the settlement it is stated: "Hansadutta Dasa, Veda Guhya Dasa, Bhagavan Dasa, and Dasa Dasanudasa Dasa Dasi have voluntarily stepped down from any role they might have had as trustees of the 1972 trust. And all concerned have agreed that now the (new) trustees (of the BBT) will be four trustees from the BBT-I International: Brahma Muhurta Dasa, Naresvara Dasa, Svavasa Dasa, and Jayadvaita Swami."
So, that means the new BBT trustees are now Brahma Muhurta Dasa, Naresvara Dasa, Svavasa Dasa, and Jayadvaita Swami, and the bogus BBT-I trustees are also Brahma Muhurta Dasa, Nerdesvara Dasa, Svavasa Dasa, and Jayadvaita Swami.
The settlement further states: "With the validity of the California trust now reaffirmed, all parties agree that the rightful beneficiary of the trust is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness". "The BBT-I will continue handling the active side of the BBT operations" (What is that meaning??)
Sounds really bad, and this scum Naresvara (a real nerd) also called Nerdesvara helped destroy the Singapore printing. WOW, the worst scum's Jayadvaita, Nerdesvara and Svavas controlling the BBT as well as the BBT-I. Unbelievable!
However, since Hasadutta did not get the printing license (because it was given to Gupta) he has rescinded his resignation as BBT Trustee. Hansadutta on his website wrote the following:
"This is to notify you that inasmuch as your organization has never given me a license to print the original books of Srila Prabhupada but rather the license has been given to Krsna Books Inc. the formation of which has been proven in court proceedings to be a fraud practiced by my attorney Joseph Fedorowsky (See California State Bar Complaint Case No. 99-0-11217, See Overview of Complaint attached as Exhibit 1).
Also none of the Settlement monies were paid to me other than to cover whatever obligation I may have had to Mr. Fedorowsky. This leaves me no alternative than to rescind the settlement agreement and withdraw my resignation pursuant to which you were appointed trustees of the trust and I must reassert my position as trustee of the trust.
Since the Settlement Agreement has been invalidated I have no alternative but to reassert my duties as trustee. I will now perform my responsibilities as trustee."
Also Madhudvisa wrote to Locanananda the following:
"BBTI is not even the "BBT" Prabhupada established. It is simply ISKCON operating under another name. They have nothing to do whatsoever with Prabhupada's BBT. It is simply a con. They are not the BBT and, as Hansadutta Prabhu's case has proved, THEY HAVE NO CLEAR CLAIM TO THE COPYRIGHTS OF PRABHUPADA'S BOOKS. So the copyright issue is not relevant. BBTI have no clear claim to the rights to Prabhupada's books at all. Nothing has changed since Hansadutta's case except Hansadutta "signed over" the copyrights to the BBTI... But it is very unlikely that Hansadutta had the copyrights of Prabhupada's books in his possession so his "signing over" of the copyrights to the BBTI is completely bogus also. So the BBTI is NOT Prabhupada's BBT at all and they do not have any clear claim to the copyrights on Prabhupada's books.
So these sentimental arguments that the "BBTI should do it" are not very relevant. THE BBT PRABHUPADA ESTABLISHED NO LONGER EXISTS (due to NO original trustees). So now the sincere disciples of Srila Prabhupada have to "do the needful" and get Prabhupada's original books back in print and distribute them, perhaps by reestablishing the REAL BBT. This action alone can force the BBTI to print Prabhupada's original books also as in the presence of Prabhupada's original books there is no market for their adulterated versions of many of Prabhupada's books they print [NOT all of them are changed--BBTI still publish some original pre-1977 books as well]
Actually if we like it or not, but we now have to work with Gupta, since he holds the court approved license, to print original books. Actually Gupta has to sue now the bogus BBTI for printing unauthorised Books.
