Caught in the Crossfire - 1996-11-01
Caught in the Crossfire November 1, 1996,
The debate is familiar: are Internet posters who quote published material engaging in free speech or have they purloined copyrighted intellectual property? In the battle between the Church of Scientology (COS) and the Net, the shrapnel's still flying. As long ago as May 1995, posters on alt.religion.scientology were betting that California Nethead Grady Ward would be the next Church target. On March 21, 1996, those predictions were borne out: the COS filed a lawsuit accusing Ward of anonymously posting a series of texts under the moniker "Scamizdat" - documents containing secrets normally seen by Scientologists only after years of expensive study. The Church also obtained a preliminary injunction, forcing Ward to cease any activity that would violate COS copyright of the materials."