The American Standard Version Copyright and Usage Information The American Standard Version (ASV) of the Holy Bible was first published in 1901 by Thomas Nelson & Sons. It has earned the reputation of being the Rock of Biblical Honesty. Although the English used in the ASV is somewhat archaic, it isn't nearly as hard to understand as some passages of the King James Version of nearly 3 centuries earlier. This translation of the Holy Bible is in the public domain, since its copyright has expired and is the predecessor to the New American Standard Bible.