Notice to licensees & agents · Draft pending counsel

Notice to Licensees, Agents and Printers

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust — the charitable religious trust established on 29 May 1972 — is regularising its publishing and licensing of Srila Prabhupada's works.

The Trust's ownership

In November 1998, the Superior Court of California entered a judgment in case BC 170617 that confirmed and ratified ownership of the copyrights in Srila Prabhupada's works in the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust created on 29 May 1972, and found the Trust to be a valid California religious trust. The same record describes the separate corporation incorporated in 1988 (the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.) as the Trust's agent, and describes the Trust as the Licensor of the works.

What we are asking

All persons and entities that hold, or claim to hold, an agency, licence or other authority to print, reproduce or distribute Srila Prabhupada's works are invited to confirm and review their arrangements directly with the Trust — and not with the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. — on or before 31 July 2026.

To do so, write to licensing@officialbbt.org with the titles, languages, territory and basis of your current arrangement. The Trust intends to deal openly and on a mission-first basis with those who come forward.

Authority being confirmed

The Trust's current trusteeship is in the process of being confirmed by the California Superior Court under Probate Code § 17200, with the California Attorney General served. This notice is provided for information; it is not legal advice, and it is not a determination of any person's rights.