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From: milne@crl.com (Andrew Milne)
Newsgroups: alt.clearing.technology,comp.org.eff.talk,xs4all.general
Subject: GRADY WARD NOW UNDER INJUNCTION
Date: 29 Mar 1996 17:52:14 -0800
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      FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:           March 29, 1996

      Helena Kobrin, Attorney at Law (213) 960-1933



          CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY WINS PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
                       AGAINST INTERNET POSTER


            SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - The Religious Technology Center
      (RTC), owners of the advanced writings of the Scientology
      religion, and holder of the copyrights in those works, today
      was granted a preliminary injunction by U.S.  District Court
      Judge Ronald M.  Whyte, enjoining Grady Ward of Arcata,
      California, and anyone acting in concert with him, from
      infringing on the Church's copyrights and misappropriating
      its trade secrets.

            In a lawsuit filed last week, the Church charged that
      Ward, a software developer, has engaged in a continuing
      scheme of infringing its copyrights and misappropriating its
      trade secrets.  

            The lawsuit charges that, in spite of demands by RTC,
      Ward refused to stop violating its rights and continued to
      solicit copies of its trade secrets and to threaten to expose
      them in violation of California law.  Despite Ward's claims
      that he had no intention of posting RTC's materials to the
      Internet, Judge Whyte stated that he was going to issue a
      preliminary injunction prohibiting the acquisition,
      reproduction, and distribution of RTC's copyrighted and trade
      secret works to protect RTC's rights.

            "We are very pleased with the Judge's decision," stated
      Mr. Warren McShane, president of RTC.  "This is an important
      decision as it protects RTC's copyrights and trade secrets,
      and it benefits all intellectual property owners.  The clear
      message to Grady Ward and others of his ilk is that they are
      not above the law and their anarchy on the Internet will not
      be tolerated."

            RTC's attorney, Tom Hogan, stated: "My client is a
      strong supporter of free speech, and an advocate of the
      Internet, but it will take all measures legally required to
      protect its intellectual property rights.  We are satisfied
      with the outcome of today's hearing, and we are hopeful that
      it will lay the foundation for a prompt resolution of issues
      between RTC and Grady Ward."

            Judge Whyte has previously enjoined another Internet
      user who posted copyrighted Church works without
      authorization, and also ordered that two access providers
      which facilitated those postings go to trial on the issue of
      whether their actions constituted contributory infringement.
      In another case involving similar postings of RTC's works, a
      federal judge in Virginia granted RTC's summary judgement
      motion, finding that defendant's postings of those works to
      the Internet constituted copyright infringment.  "Certain
      elements on the Internet have claimed that intellectual
      property rights are dead in cyberspace and existing law does
      not apply in that medium," said RTC's attorney, Helena
      Kobrin.  "Judge White once again has issued a ruling which
      shows that intellectual property owners have the same rights
      on-line as they done in more traditional media.  Such
      protections essential to the purpose of the framers of our
      Constitution to promote creativity by providing intellectual
      property rights."

  
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