BY: URDHVAGA DAS

Source: http://harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/01-09/editorials3820.htm

Jan 10, GERMANY (SUN) — A reply to the question, "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.