BS> One question i still have is, does it
BS> matter what country the digital file originated in?
There are international copyright conventions, which set up the rules
of authorship protection. However, some countries have not signed
these conventions, and some have additional laws.
BS> Is this receiving stolen goods?
Receiving stolen things can be intentional and unintentional.
If one intentionally looks for stolen things, it is degrading.
BS> Does anyone have any advice about how to obtain copyright permission
BS> for such materials?
Firstly, it's a question of honesty and gratitude. Such publications
exist thanks to an unspoken ethical agreement of honest reward.
So if one wants to promote such studies, and preserve clean
consciousness, it would be better to try to reach a copyright
agreement, if it is possible to find a copyright owner.
Usually it is easy to arrange such agreement, since the publisher's
main motivation is far from commercial.
Secondly, I think that transcription of the text is not an object of
copyright, in contrast with translation. However it can be worthwhile
to consult copyright conventions or a lawyer.