Living Word Bibles Legal

Copyright Notice

This Notice identifies the intellectual-property rights claimed by Living Word Bibles, distinguishes those rights from public-domain Scripture, and preserves the copyright, trademark, attribution, and license notices applicable to Bible translations displayed or distributed through our Services.

Effective: 31 December 1999 Last Revised: 13 September 2026 Operated by Cook Services Company, LLC

Copyright © 2000–2026 Living Word Bibles^™. All Rights Reserved.
This copyright claim applies to LWB’s original and protectable contributions. It does not claim copyright in Scripture text that is in the public domain, nor does it enlarge or diminish the rights of Bible publishers, translators, licensors, trademark owners, or other rights holders.

1. Scope of Living Word Bibles Protection

"Living Word Bibles^™" (“LWB”) is a Registered Trademark in the State of Indiana, and is the exclsuive intellectrual property of its operator Cook Services Company, LLC, which publishes and maintains websites, Bible readers, digital editions, applications, historical and editorial resources, artwork, product pages, metadata, navigation systems, and other original materials.

Subject to the rights in any underlying Scripture translation or other preexisting material, LWB claims copyright and other applicable intellectual-property rights in its original and protectable contributions, including as applicable:

original articles, historical essays, translation histories, devotional writing, introductions, annotations, explanatory copy, bibliographies, product descriptions, and other editorial material;
original artwork, illustrations, graphics, photographs, icons, visual assets, and protectable graphic compositions;
original software, source code, scripts, user-interface implementations, technical documentation, and application components;
original metadata, taxonomy, descriptive fields, editorial categorization, cross-linking, and other authored or curated data elements;
original selection, coordination, and arrangement of materials where those choices satisfy the applicable originality standard;
original page composition, cover designs, graphical layouts, and edition-specific visual presentation to the extent protected by applicable law;
LWB-created navigational structures, curated resource collections, reading tools, and editorial sequences to the extent protectable; and
the collective presentation of LWB Protected Elements in individual editions, products, applications, and websites.

These materials are referred to in this Notice as the “LWB Protected Elements.” Protection in an LWB compilation or edition extends only to LWB’s original, protectable contributions and does not create exclusive rights in underlying public-domain material or enlarge any third party’s copyright.

2. Public-Domain Scripture Clarification

Certain Bible translations displayed or distributed by LWB are public domain, CC0-dedicated, or otherwise available for broad reuse. LWB does not claim ownership of those underlying Scripture texts merely because they are displayed through an LWB reader or included within an LWB edition.

Public-domain Scripture remains public domain. You may independently obtain and lawfully use public-domain Scripture from another source. LWB’s rights in an edition do not prevent anyone from reproducing the same underlying public-domain Bible text from a lawful source or creating an independently authored edition.

Likewise, where a translation is owned or controlled by a third-party publisher or rights holder, LWB claims no ownership of that Scripture text. The publisher’s rights, notices, and license terms remain fully reserved.

3. Bible Translation Copyright, Trademark & License Notices

The following notices are maintained carefully because the legal status of each Bible translation differs. Where LWB has a direct license, inherited permission, platform authorization, or other written permission containing more specific terms, that controlling permission governs LWB’s use even if a public-facing summary below is abbreviated.

Nothing on this page grants a visitor permission to reuse a third-party copyrighted Bible translation beyond rights granted directly by the applicable publisher, license, statute, or other lawful authority.

Living Word Bibles eStore Bible Products

Living Word Bibles digital eBible products appear here with their actual Living Word Bibles cover artwork. These product listings do not replace the reader and translation-rights notices below.

Living Word Bibles Online Bible Reader Editions & Translation Notices

All fifteen Living Word Bibles online-reader translations are listed below in their original order. Each Bible card links directly to its corresponding reader. The copyright, public-domain, trademark, and license status stated for an underlying Scripture translation does not waive or diminish LWB’s separate rights in the Living Word Bibles reader software, interface, card design, metadata, navigation, selection and arrangement, editorial presentation, or other LWB Protected Elements.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain in the United States

The Holy Bible

King James Version

Status: The historic King James Version text is public domain in the United States.

Credit/Notes: No LWB permission is required to reuse the public-domain KJV text itself in the United States. Special continuing rights apply in the United Kingdom; see the United Kingdom KJV Notice.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Copyrighted / Licensed

The Holy Bible

New King James Version

Status: Presented by Living Word Bibles under license.

NKJV®, New King James Version®, and associated rights remain the property of their respective rights holder(s). LWB grants no sublicense in the NKJV text.

Publisher Permissions

New International Version (NIV)

Copyrighted / Licensed

The Holy Bible

New International Version

Berean Standard Bible

Status: The Berean Bible and Majority Bible texts were officially dedicated to the public domain as of 30 April 2023. Licensing is not required for use of the Bible text.

The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God’s Word has been dedicated to the public domain.

The Berean project describes that attribution as appreciated but not required. LWB’s separately created BSB page design, editorial history, metadata, artwork, and other LWB Protected Elements remain subject to this Notice.

Berean Free Licensing

World English Bible (WEB^™)

Public Domain Text / Trademarked Name

The Holy Bible

World English Bible

Status: Text is Public Domain.

Bible in Basic English

Status: Public Domain. Public Bible-distribution sources identify the BBE as public domain, and Cambridge University Press has been reported as confirming that the work is out of copyright.

Credit/Notes: No LWB permission is required to reuse the underlying BBE text itself.

BBE Copyright Information

Open English Bible (OEB)

CC0 / Public Domain Dedication

The Holy Bible

Open English Bible

Status: CC0 / Public Domain dedication.

The Open English Bible is copyright-free and released under a CC0 Public Domain dedication.

LWB claims no copyright in the underlying OEB text. LWB’s separate editorial and presentation elements remain protected to the extent provided by law.

Open English Bible

Living Word Bibles iOS App, Audio Bible & Ethiopian Bible Products

The following offerings combine underlying Scripture or historical texts with LWB-created software, formatting, artwork, metadata, curation, navigation, editorial presentation, or other original elements. Rights in those separate components must be distinguished carefully.

Living Word Bibles iOS App

Living Word Bibles Bible App on an iPhone

Software / Application / LWB Protected Elements

Scripture text: The Living Word Bibles App currently presents the King James Version. The historic KJV text is public domain in the United States, subject to the separate United Kingdom notice in Section 6.

LWB application: LWB separately reserves rights, where applicable, in the application software, source code, interface, navigation, search, reader controls, artwork, icons, metadata, product presentation, design, and other original LWB Protected Elements. The public-domain status of the underlying KJV text does not place those independently created application elements in the public domain.

Current installation, compatibility, purchase, and platform information is available on the Living Word Bibles App page.

KJV Audio Bible

KJV Text / Public-Domain Audio Where Identified

Scripture text: The historic King James Version text is public domain in the United States, subject to the separate United Kingdom notice in Section 6.

Audio source: Where the LWB Audio Bible uses recordings supplied by LibriVox, LibriVox states that its recordings are public domain in the United States. Copyright status may differ outside the United States, and users are responsible for complying with the law applicable in their jurisdiction.

LWB does not claim copyright in underlying public-domain KJV Scripture or in a public-domain LibriVox recording merely because it is played through the LWB service. LWB separately reserves rights, where applicable, in its player software, interface, artwork, metadata, navigation, image/slideshow curation, editorial presentation, and other original LWB Protected Elements.

LibriVox Public-Domain Information

The Complete Apocrypha of the Ethiopian Bible

Living Word Bibles Ethiopian Bible cover

Digital PDF / Compilation & Presentation Rights

Underlying texts: LWB does not claim exclusive ownership of ancient, historical, or public-domain source texts merely because they are included in an LWB PDF. Rights in any third-party translation, edition, transcription, image, or other source material remain with the applicable rights holder or are governed by the source's public-domain or license status.

LWB edition: To the extent protected by law, LWB reserves rights in its original cover, formatting, typography, editorial matter, metadata, product description, compilation choices, navigation, and other original presentation elements.

The product title describes the specific Living Word Bibles digital collection offered through the Ethiopian Bible page. It should not be read as a claim that this individual PDF reproduces the entire canon, liturgical corpus, or complete textual tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

4. United States Copyright Notice

Under 17 U.S.C. §§ 101 and 103, a compilation may receive copyright protection where preexisting materials or data are selected, coordinated, or arranged in a sufficiently original manner. Copyright in a compilation extends only to the original material contributed by the compiler and does not create exclusive rights in preexisting public-domain material.

Accordingly, LWB asserts copyright in qualifying original selection, coordination, arrangement, editorial material, artwork, software, metadata, and other original expression contained in its products and Services. This claim is independent of the copyright or public-domain status of the underlying Scripture text.

No claim in mere typeface. United States copyright law does not recognize copyright in a typeface as such, and mere variations of typographic ornamentation or lettering are not independently copyrightable. LWB therefore does not base this Notice on ownership of ordinary typeface or mere typographic styling. LWB instead relies on its copyrightable original expression, compilation authorship, code, graphics, editorial works, and protectable edition or page-design elements.

Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, public display, republication, adaptation, or copying of LWB Protected Elements may infringe copyright even where the underlying Scripture itself is public domain.

5. European Union & United Kingdom Database / Edition Rights

In the European Union, qualifying databases may receive copyright protection in an original selection or arrangement and may also qualify for the separate sui generis database right under Directive 96/9/EC where the statutory requirements—including the required substantial investment in obtaining, verifying, or presenting database contents—are satisfied.

Where an LWB database qualifies for such protection, unauthorized extraction or reutilization of all or a substantial part of its protected contents may infringe applicable database rights. Nothing in this Notice claims a database right where the statutory requirements are not met.

In the United Kingdom, qualifying database rights are governed by the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, as amended. UK law also separately recognizes copyright in the typographical arrangement of a published edition under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. That published-edition right has its own statutory scope and term and exists independently from copyright in the underlying literary work.

These rights, where applicable, protect LWB’s qualifying database or edition contributions and do not convert public-domain Scripture into proprietary text.

6. United Kingdom Notice — Authorized (King James) Version

United Kingdom Notice | Authorized (King James) Version

Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version of The Holy Bible are vested in the Crown in the United Kingdom, and are administered under Royal Letters Patent issued by His Majesty's Government, and distributed by the Crown’s authorized patentee(s), Cambridge University Press. By act of Parliament, and in accordance with Section 171(1)(b) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the Crown reserves the rights & privileges existing otherwise than by virtue of ordinary statutory copyright.

Living Word Bibles does not offer for sale, fulfill, or distribute its KJV editions to addresses located within England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Orders containing restricted KJV items for delivery within the United Kingdom will be cancelled & promptly refunded.

This notice does not apply to U.S. or EU consumers outside of the United Kingdom.

7. Permitted Use of Public-Domain Scripture

You are free to read, quote, copy, reproduce, republish, adapt, and otherwise use underlying Scripture text that is genuinely in the public domain to the extent permitted by the law applicable to you.

You do not need LWB’s permission to use public-domain Bible text merely because LWB also publishes that translation.

However, that freedom does not automatically grant rights in LWB Protected Elements added to or surrounding the public-domain text, including LWB’s original editorial material, artwork, code, metadata, product descriptions, graphical composition, original compilation choices, navigation, and other independently protectable contributions.

The easiest way to avoid confusion is to obtain public-domain Scripture text from a recognized public-domain source and create your own independent formatting, metadata, artwork, navigation, and editorial material.

8. Personal-Use License for LWB Editions

Except where a product page or separate written license expressly provides otherwise, LWB editions made available through Read the Bible Online, Download the Bible, the Living Word Bibles App, the eStore, and related LWB services are provided to individual readers under a limited personal-use license covering the LWB Protected Elements.

Laypersons, students, pastors, clergy, educators, and other individual readers may use those editions for ordinary personal reading, study, devotional activity, sermon preparation, classroom preparation, and similar personal or ministry study, subject to the rights in the underlying Bible translation.

Unless expressly authorized, you may not redistribute an LWB PDF or EPUB, upload an LWB edition to another website or repository, mirror the LWB reader, incorporate LWB Protected Elements into another application or product, bundle an LWB file with software or hardware, remove rights notices, or offer an LWB edition for sale.

This limitation applies to the LWB edition and LWB Protected Elements—not to independently sourced public-domain Scripture text.

For broader ministry, publishing, software, institutional, or commercial use, see Licensing and App Licensing.

9. Trademarks, Translation Names & Brand Indicia

“Living Word Bibles^™,” LWB logos, brand names, trade dress, and associated source-identifying brand elements such as trademarks, service marks, trade names, or other brand indicia is a Registered Trademark in the State of Indaina, and is the exclusive intellectrual property of LWB and/or Cook Services Company, LLC.

Bible translation names, abbreviations, logos, and marks—including NKJV®, NIV®, ESV®, NET Bible®, Lexham, and World English Bible—may be trademarks or other protected identifiers of their respective owners. Their appearance on LWB identifies the relevant translation and does not transfer ownership of those marks to LWB.

All third-party marks are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners. Use of a third-party mark on LWB does not imply sponsorship or endorsement beyond any actual license or relationship.

10. Prohibited Conduct

Except where authorized by law, a public-domain status, an open license, a third-party license, or written permission, you may not:

systematically scrape, harvest, crawl, mirror, or bulk-extract LWB Protected Elements;
reproduce or republish LWB’s original articles, histories, editorial material, artwork, product copy, or proprietary digital editions in whole or substantial part;
copy or clone LWB’s original selection, coordination, arrangement, metadata, navigation, or software where protected by law;
remove, conceal, or alter copyright, trademark, license, attribution, provenance, or rights notices;
misrepresent an LWB publication as your own edition or imply that LWB endorses an unaffiliated product or website;
circumvent technical measures used to enforce access, territorial, license, or download restrictions; or
use a copyrighted Bible translation beyond the rights granted by its publisher or rights holder.

This section does not prohibit lawful independent use of public-domain Scripture or other rights expressly granted to you by law.

11. Bible Publishers, Rights Holders & Correction / Takedown Procedure

LWB intends to preserve the exact copyright, attribution, trademark, territorial, and licensing language required by Bible publishers and rights holders. The companion Publisher Licensing Notice provides additional information about Scripture display, continuity of permissions, technical implementation, and publisher requests.

If you are a publisher, translator, licensor, rights holder, or authorized agent and believe that:

a required copyright or trademark notice should be corrected or updated;
a translation is being displayed under an outdated license condition;
a file or edition exceeds the scope of an authorization;
a territory should be restricted or geofenced;
advertising or another feature conflicts with license conditions;
a source file should be replaced with an approved edition; or
content should be removed while a good-faith rights dispute is investigated,

please contact LWB promptly. We will review substantiated rights-holder requests and may temporarily restrict the disputed material while the matter is investigated.

No public-facing summary on this page supersedes the actual license, written permission, publisher terms, statute, or other controlling legal instrument.

12. Reservation of Rights; No Implied License

Except for rights expressly granted by LWB in writing, no license in LWB Protected Elements is granted by implication, estoppel, course of dealing, or otherwise. All LWB rights not expressly granted are reserved.

Likewise, LWB does not purport to grant rights owned by a third-party Bible publisher, licensor, trademark owner, artist, photographer, author, or other rights holder. Any rights in third-party material must come from that rights holder, the applicable license, public-domain status, or law.

13. Permissions, Licensing & Contact

For permission to use LWB Protected Elements, commercial licensing, academic or ministry use beyond the personal-use license, software integration, publisher inquiries, attribution corrections, or other intellectual-property questions, contact:

Living Word Bibles
Operated by Cook Services Company, LLC
151 N. Delaware Street
Suite 122
Indianapolis, IN 46204
United States

Permissions / Copyright: gospellivingwordbibles@gmail.com
Publisher / Licensing Information: Publisher Licensing Notice
App / Commercial Licensing: App Licensing
Technical Support: Living Word Bibles Support
Phone: +1 (317) 442-1437

Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Eastern Time.