Copyrighting God

Andrew Ventimiglia is a Research Fellow in the University of Queensland TC Beirne School of Law. He works in the areas of legal history, religious studies, and media studies, with a research focus on the history and cultural effects of intellectual property law. Ventimiglia was awarded a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from the University of California, Davis in 2015. He also holds an M.A. in Cinema Studies and a Certificate from the Culture and Media Program at New York University. Ventimiglia's work has appeared or is forthcoming in Cultural Critique and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.

• Introduction: owning the sacred; Part I. The Angelic Author and the Sacred Work: 1. Spirited possessions; 2. The angels' share; Part II. The Doctrines of Religion and Law: 3. Authorship and authority in intellectual property; 4. A market in prophecy; 5. Digital liability and the Church of Scientology; Conclusion: the afterlife of intellectual property.

'Copyrighting God explores how copyright law is crucially involved in constructing and maintaining the sacredness of religious texts and the aura of charismatic leaders, framing a church's relationship with internal and external critics, and maintaining the boundaries and identity of new religious communities. Even more surprising, some of the specific challenges that religions have posed to intellectual property have been influential to its further articulation. Superbly researched and subtly argued through copious printed and archival sources, Copyrighting God has many gems to offer to many disciplines, from religious studies to law, media studies, American studies and history, and cultural studies. Ventimiglia's gift to communicate complex arguments in crystal-clear prose will gain this book many admirers, from the classroom to the public sphere.' Mario Biagioli, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis