Theos-Talk Archives (November 2003 Message tt00101)

I think theosophical students are mainly interested in seeing this
collection as complete as possible (which obviously means John Coopers
collection is included) as well as it being accurate. This means that
the letters were transcribed as accurately as possible and no
deletions were made. 

Still, how can John Cooper be said to have owned these letters? These
letters are HPB's and I don't think it is fair to say that any one
person or organisation has copyright over them. 

Knowing Adele and John at least a bit (I have met them a few times in
theosophical circles) I suspect they just didn't feel like running
every change they made in John Cooper's manuscript, based on a
different interpretation of HPB's handwriting, by his heirs. They
probably took the trouble of checking everything with the originals,
just like they say on the website, which is good, not bad. Some
professional pride may be involved as well. Still, I think
theosophical researchers will be interested in finding out what
differences there are between the John Cooper-collection and the
collection as is now being published. Significant differences will be
worth hearing about and should be published in the appropriate places,
either online or in Theosophical History Magazine. It is a bit
premature though to complain of inaccuracies when the book hasn't been
published yet. 

Katinka Hesselink 
--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, <gregory@z...> wrote:
> As the Literary Executor of the Estate of the late Dr John Cooper I was 
> naturally interested to read of the forthcoming publication of a volume 
> which, at least on the basis of the brief information published on 
> theos-talk, sounds identical to the volume compiled by Dr Cooper
prior to 
> his untimely death.
> 
> I would welcome to the following questions:
> 
> 1. Can I assume that no use has been made of any material which derives 
> from Dr Cooper's manuscript or research, for which he held, and his 
> family now holds, all intellectual property rights?
> 
> 2. Can I assume that no use has been made of any letters which were not 
> known prior to Dr Cooper's research, which were discovered by him,
which 
> had never previously been published, and which are available only in
his 
> manuscript or in his doctoral thesis?
> 
> 3. Can I assume that nothing of Dr Cooper's research (except in the 
> strictly limited amounts allowable by international and national 
> copyright law, and appropriately acknowledged) is used in the new work?
> 
> I note that Dr Cooper's family was fully prepared to make all material 
> relating to the HPB correspondence available for publication by the 
> Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, and to cooperate in such 
> publication on the conditions only that (i) no editing, amending or 
> alteration would be made to such work except with the permission of the 
> family, and (ii) that the intellectual property rights of the 
> beneficiaries of Dr Cooper's estate were recognized and acknowledged. 
> These conditions reflect the concerns Dr Cooper had expressed to a
number 
> of people that there would be some editing or altering of HPB's
writings.
> 
> The Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, appeared entirely unwilling 
> to accept these conditions.
> 
> I look forward to seeing the new publication and to comparing it 
> carefully with Dr Cooper's work. I am sure it is entirely
unnecessary, in 
> this case, to state that the rights of Dr Cooper's family will be 
> asserted and defended at law in any breach of their intellectual
property 
> rights.
> 
> 
> Dr Gregory Tillett