Who owns the rights to Ramayana and Mahabharata?

I have never really managed to find an answer to this question. When a myth has been told and retold through centuries, morphed, twisted, wrongly translated, bits forgotten and parts exaggerated, who can really claim ownership? Do I have a right to depict my own interpretation?

If so, then why is HinduJagruti.org out to claim that Nina Paley's animated Sitayana is "disrespectful and denigrating to Hindus at large"? For instance, how "factual" was Doordarshan Channel's depiction of the myth (with arrows that split up in hundred other arrows and two arrows colliding in mid-air and destroying each other)?

Check out the letter from HinduJagruti.org that I found on her website:

"Ms. Paley,

Some irate Hindus have brought to our attention your attempt ("Sitayana") at retelling the Hindu Holy epic, Ramayana ( www.ninapaley.com/Sitayana).

Here are our concerns regarding your attempt:

Ø It appears that you are not fully aware that the Ramayana is a Holy Scripture for Hindus. Over a billion Hindus all over the world hold it in reverence. What you call as the characters in Ramayana are divine Incarnations worshipped by Hindus.

Ø While we understand your painful personal incidents discussed on your site, your "Sitayana", which basically re-tells the Ramayana as matches your own life, is contrary to the life of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita as given in the Hindu Holy texts. Thus, even if inadvertently, your "Sitayana" has proved to be deliberately disrespectful and downright denigrating to Hindus at large.

Ø One cannot understand divine Incarnations by trying to fit them into limited human paradigms. It takes rigorous spiritual practice to attain the spiritual maturity to understand and experience the attributes and functions of divine Incarnations.

Ø Even if one were to hold such views in private, out of lack of knowledge or understanding, you have gone on to publicly display your views on the World Wide Web. To publicly comment on something held in reverence by many, one should have some authority on the subject. Kindly let us know what spiritual authority you exercised to publicly alter and mock a Holy spiritual text revered by millions?"

It goes on and on. Check out the rest of it here.