Hello guys, I am writing a conspiracy thriller, one of my topics is the URANTIA book.....

Hi everyone, I am new to above top secret as a member, but I've visited this site for years, Anyways, for years I've had an idea for a conspiracy thriller that I am currently writing. I don't really want to get into specifics of the story but it involves classic topics like aliens, secret projects and the Illuminati. One of the topics I am looking to incorporate is the enigmatic urantia book. I am looking to use it as a major plot device in the story. I know quite a bit about it, such as its unknown authorship and its strange contents. I know that its copyright expired years ago so it was put in the public domain. I want to know if i would be able to use both the Urantia foundation and the urantia book by their own names or do i have to use another name ( to avoid copyright violation) ? Thank you

a reply to: Kingberry10

ATS is a bad place to be looking for what is basically legal guidance. Go to the source. I suspect that some aspect of that belief system has the bucks to take you to task over your novel if it is in disagreement with any aspect of it. Since it is a litigious world, you can sue anybody for anything.

Specifically to your question, sure, you may print exact wording from that book if the copyright has expired, but that does not apply to what you add in your own words. The devil is in the details.

a reply to: Kingberry10

What will be the title of your book?

a reply to: southbeach

I actually dont have a title yet, at least not a fixed one. Its a bit tricky to think of the perfect one.

a reply to: Kingberry10
Just looking at the "front matter" section of the Urantia Book on the Urantia .org website, I note that it says:

“Urantia” and [the concentric circle device] are the trademarks, service marks, and membership marks of Urantia Foundation.

(The concentric circles device won't display here so I've inserted a bracketed note about it.)

You would need to tread carefully about using their registered trade mark. As for quoting from the book's text, another member has pretty well covered that. It's definitely in the public domain, but if you have any doubts about what you can or cannot do, then it's best to seek legal advice from a professional.

Deciding on a title is sometimes difficult. Don't worry about that now. Just focus on your writing: it doesn't matter what title a book has until it's actually all written! I also used "working titles" for every chapter in my own book, but the published version only has chapter numbers and no titles. The chapter titles were just to help me keep track more easily. As for my book's title, it's completely different from the one I originally had.

All the best in your efforts. I hope you can resolve any issues and get your book done and "out there"!