Article 23560 of alt.religion.scientology: Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk,misc.legal.computing,alt.clearing.technology,alt.religion.scientology Path: news.cybercom.net!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!sthomson From: sthomson@netcom.com (shelley thomson) Subject: BULLETIN: **Biased Journalism** threatened Message-ID: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Date: Sat, 26 Aug 1995 05:23:55 GMT Lines: 131 Sender: sthomson@netcom13.netcom.com Xref: news.cybercom.net comp.org.eff.talk:8827 misc.legal.computing:2574 alt.clearing.technology:1467 alt.religion.scientology:23560 **Biased Journalism** : a net magazine designed to compensate for the shortcomings of the professional news media. Copyright 1995 Shelley Thomson; all rights reserved. Mail, articles and comment may be directed to . Netiquette will be observed with all communication, except for the following: harassing or threatening mail will be posted to the net immediately. Read at your own risk! This is **Biased Journalism**! BULLETIN: **Biased Journalism** threatened by the Church of Scientology It came in an unbelievably impressive envelope. Engraved letterhead, stiff bond paper. If they bother to spell out "California," you know it's serious. It said: Law Offices of ELLIOT J. ABELSON Fox Plaza 2121 Avenue of The Stars Twenty-Second Floor Los Angeles, California 90067-5010 The letterhead inside had the same data, plus a telephone number (310) 282-8975 and a fax number, (310) 286-2420. Under this information was the statement "of counsel James L. Keane." [We wondered briefly what this meant. Is Mr. Ableson so used to being sued, or countersued, that he includes his own counsel's name on his letterhead? We do not know, and invite clarification from the readership.] August 21, 1995 Shelly Thompson (sic) [address deleted] Dear Shelly: This letter will put you on notice that on August 15, 1995, the Honorable Harry L. Hupp, United States District Judge, of the Central District of California, issued an order sealing the copies and versions of the Scientology religion's copyrighted and trade secret protected documents pending final resolution of issues now pending in _Church of Scientology International v. Fishman, et. al._, No. CV 91-6426 HLH (Tx). This order blocks access to the Advanced Technology filed by the defendants in that case, thus foreclosing unauthorized persons from mistakenly claiming entitlement to copy and distribute any of those materials without the permission of Religious Technology Center (RTC), the exclusive copyright licensee and trade secret owner. You are now on notice that you should cease and desist from any copying or distributing or publication of any document that purports to have come from the sealed file, and should immediately send all copies of such documents in your possession, custody or control to the undersigned. Copying or other distribution or publication of use of any such documents or copies without the consent of RTC violates copyright and trade secret law and will subject the infringer or misappropriator to an enforcement action which could expose the transgressor to restraining orders, writs of seizure and impoundment, injunctions, and in the case of copyright infringement, damages of up to $100,000 per infringement. Very truly yours, Elliot J. Abelson EJA:sq [squiggle] Now what does this mean? We have no idea. **Biased Journalism** has never published any of the disputed sacred texts. It appears that this outstandingly rude and threatening letter was sent merely to intimidate **Biased Journalism** and deter us from our mission of exposing the funny side of the truth. We have not so far even parodied the sacred texts, although we believe that falls within our rights as fair comment. We are taken aback by this letter. Perhaps we are soon to join the company of Arnie Lerma, Lawrence Wollersheim, Bob Penny and Dennis Erlich. Had we written a letter to a strange attorney we would have selected a more polite form of address and we would have spelled his name correctly. As it is, Elliot, FOAD. not The End The End