Landmark disputes EFF charges
p2pnet.net News:- An assertion by the EFF that a Landmark Education copyright claim is bogus and stifles free speech online is, “entirely inaccurate,” says Landmark in an email to p2pnet.
In a bid to suppress an investigative television documentary critical of its methods, Landmark subpoenaed the Internet Archive, Google Video, and YouTube seeking the identities of the anonymous uploaders, says the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), going on:
“The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) allows a content owner to issue a subpoena for the identity of an alleged infringer without first filing an actual lawsuit”.
EFF lawyer Corynne McSherry described the action as a classic example of, “using a bogus copyright claim to squelch free speech”. Landmark, “is simply trying to use the streamlined DMCA subpoena process to obtain the identities of its critics,” she stated.
However, Landmark says the video, “posted on several Internet sites,” included copyrighted portions of its Landmark Forum which were, “taped without authorization by a person who was in the program under a false name”.
Learning the video was online, “we availed ourselves of the rights provided under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (’DMCA’) to request the identity of the people who posted this video,” says the Landmark email.
“The Electronic Frontier Foundation (’EFF’) challenged our actions and alleged to the press that our copyright claims were bogus, which statement was then disseminated on the Internet.”
The email adds, “Landmark Education did not take the actions under the DMCA to suppress free speech. In fact, one of our core principles is our commitment to empowering people’s full self-expression. Rather, we took these actions solely to protect our copyrighted material, which is the principal source of our business operations.
“While freedom of speech on the Internet is essential, it is also vital that copyrighted materials be protected.”
Also See:
bogus and stifles free speech – Landmark ‘bogus copyright claim’, October 31, 2006
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November 3rd, 2006 at 6:32 pm
You Landmark boys can spin a mighty purdy yarn. Damn fancy words if I do say so myself. But at the end of the day, we know, and you know, that dog don’t hunt. You’re hiding behind a bad law to do your dirty work, sure as hell (which is where most of you boys is headed…).
November 7th, 2006 at 8:52 am
“posted on several Internet sites,” included copyrighted portions of its Landmark Forum which were, “taped without authorization by a person who was in the program under a false name”.
If you own a monkey and the monkey paints abstract art, the copyright holder is the monkey, not you. That is what the copyright law says. absurd as that may be. The creator is the owner. In this case the creator was the person doing the taping (unless it was a contracted work for hire). Therefore Landmark cannot be the copyright owner. Therefore they could not legally copyright register the creation. Without a copyright registration they cannot sue anyone for copyright infringement.
Therefore if the purpose of Landmark is not to find out who to sue for infringement, then they have no legitimante need for the names. Indeed the DMCA is being used for an illegitimate purpose, it would seem. After all the “copyright” argument is bogus.
November 8th, 2006 at 3:33 am
To download the Landmark Education French video, you can go to PirateBay for BitTorrent:
http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3537369/2003_Inside_Landmark_Forum.avi/
View the video in streaming format here:
http://www.culthelp.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1243&Itemid=12url
And read about how Landmark Education attempted to suppress Freedom of Speech over the internet through Bogus use of the DMCA act, here:
http://www.rickross.com/reference/landmark/landmark222.html
and here
http://www.rickross.com/reference/landmark/landmark223.html