Here’s the truth: we had to make a hard call.
In version 2.52.0, we removed the NIV, ESV, NLT, and NKJV from VerseTap. In their place, we added three public domain bible translations: the American Standard Version (ASV), the World English Bible (WEB), and Young’s Literal Translation (YLT). The King James Version (KJV) stayed right where it was.
This wasn’t a cosmetic change. It was a legal necessity, a values alignment, and a long-term commitment to building VerseTap the right way.
The Problem: Bible Copyright Is Real (And We Hit It)
Most people don’t think about Bible copyright. You open YouVersion, see the NIV, and assume it’s just available. It’s not.
Modern Bible translations are copyrighted works. The NIV is owned by Biblica. The ESV is owned by Crossway. The NLT belongs to Tyndale House. The NKJV is owned by Thomas Nelson. Each of these translations represents thousands of hours of scholarly work, multiple translation committees, and significant financial investment.
That work is protected by copyright law. And reproducing those texts in an app without a licensing agreement is copyright infringement.
We knew this going in. What we didn’t anticipate was how our AI feature would force the issue.
When AI Meets Copyright Law
VerseTap’s AI feature uses the Gemini API to detect scripture references in your notes and retrieve the passage text. When you type “John 3:16,” the AI identifies the reference and displays the verse.
For months, this worked fine with the KJV. But when we tested it with copyrighted translations, we started getting error responses from Gemini. The API returned a status called finishReason: "RECITATION".
That’s Google’s way of saying: “You’re asking me to reproduce copyrighted text. I can’t do that.”
The AI was technically correct. By requesting full Bible passages from copyrighted translations and displaying them in the app, we were asking the system to reproduce licensed content. That’s a legal problem.
The Licensing Reality
Some apps solve this by licensing the translations. YouVersion has licensing deals with Biblica, Crossway, and dozens of other publishers. Logos Bible Software has similar agreements.
But those licenses are expensive. An NIV license for a commercial app can run $10,000 to $50,000 or more, depending on usage. The ESV license has similar costs. Multiply that across multiple translations, and you’re looking at six figures in licensing fees before you’ve served a single user.
For a bootstrapped app built in Nigeria, that’s not realistic. And even if we could afford it, the terms often restrict offline access, which would break one of VerseTap’s core promises.
The Method: Evaluating Our Options
We had three paths forward.
Option 1: License the translations. Too expensive. Would require raising money or charging users immediately, neither of which aligned with our 2026 strategy of growing a user base first.
Option 2: Remove the AI feature. This would eliminate the copyright risk, but it would also remove one of VerseTap’s most distinctive features. Scripture detection is what makes the app feel smart and pastor-specific.
Option 3: Switch to public domain translations. Keep the AI feature. Eliminate the copyright risk. Maintain 100% offline functionality. No licensing costs. Ever.
We chose Option 3.
What Are Public Domain Bible Translations?
Public domain means the copyright has expired or the work was never copyrighted in the first place. In most countries, works published before 1928 are in the public domain. In some cases, authors intentionally release their work into the public domain.
For Bible translations, this gives us four solid options:
King James Version (KJV, 1611) — The most famous English Bible. Commissioned by King James I and completed by a committee of 47 scholars. Poetic, majestic language. Already in the public domain and already embedded in VerseTap.
American Standard Version (ASV, 1901) — A scholarly revision of the KJV, produced by American scholars to improve accuracy using better Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. More literal than the KJV. Strong reputation among pastors and Bible students.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT, 1898) — Translated by Robert Young, a Scottish Bible scholar and linguist. Extremely literal, preserving Hebrew and Greek word order as much as possible. Valued by serious students for word-study work.
World English Bible (WEB, modern) — A modern English translation intentionally released into the public domain. Based on the ASV but updated for contemporary readability. No archaic “thee” and “thou” language. Readable, accurate, and completely free.
These aren’t second-tier Bibles. The ASV was the standard scholarly Bible in America for decades before the RSV. The WEB is actively maintained by volunteers committed to keeping a high-quality, modern English Bible in the public domain. The YLT is a go-to resource for anyone doing serious word studies.
And all four work 100% offline, with zero legal risk.
The Solution: Four Public Domain Bibles, Zero Licensing Costs
As of version 2.52.0, VerseTap ships with four Bible translations:
- King James Version (KJV)
- American Standard Version (ASV)
- World English Bible (WEB)
- Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
That’s 124,408 verses. All offline. All accessible via our AI scripture detection feature. All completely legal.
You can type “Romans 8:28” in your sermon notes, and the passage appears instantly in any of these four translations. No internet required. No licensing fees. No copyright concerns.
What This Means for You
Legal clarity. You’re not using an app that’s in a gray area with Bible publishers. VerseTap is 100% compliant with copyright law.
Offline freedom. Public domain translations don’t come with the usage restrictions that licensed Bibles often have. We can make these texts fully available offline without violating any terms of service.
Long-term sustainability. We’re not paying licensing fees that could force us to raise prices or shut down features. This architecture can scale to millions of users without increasing our legal or financial risk.
Privacy protection. Because the Bibles are public domain and stored locally, we never need to phone home to a licensing server or track which passages you’re reading. Your scripture study stays private.
Why Some Bibles Require Licenses
Modern Bible translations like the NIV, ESV, NLT, and NKJV are owned by publishers who invested millions of dollars in the translation process. They hire scholars, linguists, theologians, and editorial teams. They conduct field testing. They revise based on feedback. That work takes years and costs real money.
Copyright law protects that investment. Publishers license the text to apps, websites, and print editions. The licensing fees fund future revisions and new translation projects.
This is legitimate. Translation work has value. Publishers deserve to be compensated.
But it creates a problem for small apps. A solo founder in Port Harcourt can’t afford $50,000 in licensing fees. And even large apps have to make compromises. Some limit offline access. Some restrict copying and exporting. Some track usage data to comply with licensing terms.
Public domain translations eliminate all of that. They’re free. They’re unrestricted. They’re available to anyone who wants to build tools that serve the church.
Our Commitment: Compliance Over Convenience
We could have taken shortcuts. We could have ignored the “RECITATION” errors and hoped no one noticed. We could have reproduced copyrighted text and assumed we were too small to attract legal attention.
We chose not to.
VerseTap is built on two foundational commitments: privacy and integrity. Your sermon notes never touch our servers. Your scripture study stays on your device and in your Google Drive. We don’t harvest your data. We don’t sell your insights.
And we don’t ask you to accept legal risk on our behalf.
Switching to public domain translations was the right call. It aligns with our offline-first architecture. It protects our users from copyright liability. It keeps VerseTap sustainable without requiring venture capital or expensive licensing deals.
And it gives you access to four solid, scholarly Bible translations that work anywhere, anytime, with zero legal concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are public domain Bibles less accurate than modern translations?
No. The ASV was considered the most accurate English Bible of its era. The WEB is based on the ASV with modern language updates. The YLT is valued for its extreme literalness. The KJV was the standard English Bible for 300 years. These are not inferior texts. They’re time-tested, scholar-approved translations.
Q: Will you ever add the NIV, ESV, or NLT?
Maybe. If we see strong demand (30%+ of users requesting it) and we reach a scale where licensing fees are affordable, we’ll revisit it. But only if we can do it without compromising offline access or privacy.
Q: Why not just use YouVersion’s Bible API?
YouVersion’s API requires internet access. VerseTap is offline-first. We need the full Bible embedded in the app so it works on planes, in remote villages, during power outages, and anywhere else pastors prepare sermons.
Q: Can I still export my notes with Bible verses included?
Yes. All four public domain translations can be copied, pasted, and exported freely. No restrictions.
What You Gain
You gain legal clarity. You gain offline freedom. You gain four high-quality Bible translations that work anywhere.
You gain an app built for the long haul, not for the quick exit. An app that doesn’t compromise on privacy, doesn’t cut corners on compliance, and doesn’t ask you to accept legal risk you didn’t sign up for.
VerseTap is built for pastors who take their notes seriously. Public domain Bibles are built for the same reason: to make Scripture accessible, reliable, and free.
That’s a fit we’re proud of.
Ready to take better sermon notes? Download VerseTap for Android or try it free on the web at versetap.ng. Your notes. Your Google Drive. Your privacy protected.
About the Author
Simeon Taiwo Oluwafimijoba is the founder of VerseTap, an AI-powered sermon note-taking app built for pastors, teachers, and serious Bible students. He holds certifications in Brand Management (University of London) and AI Product Management (Duke University), and serves as a pastor in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Simeon built VerseTap because he was frustrated by scattered sermon notes and wanted a tool that understood Scripture references the way pastors do.