A court in The Hague, Netherlands today rejected Scientology‘s appeal against author Karin Spaink, Dutch ISP XS4ALL, and 10 other Dutch internet providers for alleged copyright violations. All of Scientology’s claims have been rejected.
The court concluded that citations from Scientology publications as found on Karin Spaink’s website are lawful. The court notes that freedom of speech should not be trumped by copyright law.
The court’s statement says that Scientology’s teachings and organization show that the “organisation” [not “church”] does not hesitate to reject democratic values. It also notes that the wish to keep OT II and OT III secret stems partly from the organisation’s desire to wield power over its members and to hinder discussion of Scientology’s teachings and practices.
For a look at what the hate group doesn’t want you to know, see:
Given the fact that Scientology’s founder L. Ron Hubbard encouraged unethical behavior such as the abuse of the legal system in efforts to harass the group’s critics, it is expected that Scientology will now appeal to the High Court.
• XS4ALL’s dutch-language press statement on this case
• Court decision (PDF)