Christians & Intellectual Property

This issue is very granular, but very important for anyone who claims spiritual leadership and publishes content.

TL;DR intellectual property

In plain language, intellectual property is owning an idea.

There are different types of intellectual property:

• Copyright: owning a created work and gives the right to copy and distribute it.
• Trademark: owning a symbolic representation.
• Patent: owning newly invented things.
• Trade secret: owning trade-specific techniques.

However, these rights exist to permit competition with others.

• Without copyright, others could profit from a created work without restraint.
• No trademark enforcement means others could plagiarize and mislead people about a product.
• No patents could allow anyone to reproduce someone’s hard-earned invention.
• Open trade secrets would otherwise ruin a competitive advantage.

Christians’ creations

In general, Christians most certainly have the right to profit from their work, which includes their ideas (1 Timothy 5:17-18).

• A worker is worth their wages (Luke 10:7).
• Creators like writers and designers make their living by selling their work. Distributing all of it freely could harm their ability to make a living.

However, there is one clear exception to this right, and that comes through intellectual property that has spiritual benefit.

• Paul wanted the Gospel preached, and didn’t care who or how (Philippians 1:15-18).
• A Christian leader should live by example (i.e., do everything through love). This includes how they express ideas (1 Corinthians 16:14).

In light of that, Christians should express their ideas toward the rest of the world as freely as possible:

• Most importantly, any Bible translation, Bible commentary, Bible dictionary, concordance, or other reference material designed for Bible study.
• Spiritual teaching which covers any spiritual topic.
• Deep philosophical and theological ideas that could more effectively guide the Body.
• Any aspects of self-help, such as Dave Ramsey’s financial management course or Love and Logic parenting.
• Practical wisdom that could generally help people in specific circumstances.

Non-automatic solutions

Christians, however, can’t trust that the law will give the public free license. A United States consumer’s God-given rights barely exist under copyright law.

• In the 19th century, copyright law lasted the same as a patent: 20 years.
• Copyright law now extends 50–70 years out from its original publication date or the author’s death.
• In practice, that means a pastor’s grandchildren could sue for copyright infringement in 2060 over a book written in 1993.
• Every created work has an automatic copyright, so everyone participates in it even if they don’t use it.

Since it’s so defective, every Christian creator should acquaint themselves with Creative Commons.

• If their motivation is spreading a message, every believer should want their work shared freely with others.
• Further, believers should lean toward non-commercial distribution.
• While it’s a difficult standard to hold, Christians shouldn’t concern themselves too much with attribution. The only exception is when they want to give contact information for ministry needs.
• Depending on the context, forbidding derivative works is sometimes wise, especially if heresy is a risk (e.g., a Bible translation).

Plenty of proven business models offer free distribution (e.g., V4V). These approaches give the product freely, then ask the community to give back as they see fit.

Not of the world

In many domains, the secular world has adopted Creative Commons to freely distribute their message:

• Most scientific publications are creative commons.
• Most software developers create at least some of their code as open-source. In various capacities, others can freely use their code without restraint.
• Many secular influencers intentionally give away copies of their books for free.

However, Christians are often more restrictive with their intellectual property than the rest of the world:

• Many churches sell Bible study books at full-price, without a discounted or free digital option for poorer congregants.
• Some so-called Christian organizations have rigorously enforced their copyright, to the point of civil lawsuits. In particular, some Bible publishers have conducted lawfare over others using their Bible translations.

Beyond a good idea, there are potential ethical implications of Christians not freely distributing their creations. When the secular humanist world distributes things more freely than Christians, the Body of Christ has failed in loving others.

Summary

To look at this another way, there are only several possible ways a Christian should deliver their intellectual property. It’s based on the uniqueness of their content:

1. The content adds unique spiritual value. It should distribute as freely as possible without restraint to improve other believers’ wellness.
2. The works adds non-unique spiritual value. It doesn’t need to be as accessible because it’s similar to other spiritual leaders’ works.
3. The works do not add spiritual value, and the creator can do what they wish. Instead, the creator should consider if the work is even worth distributing in the first place.