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Ban on DVD-cracking code upheld
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MP3 firm in music-linking dispute with record industry
June 6, 2000
The popular search company said it removed the links after it received a copyright-infringement complaint from the Church of Scientology. Andreas Heldal-Lund, Webmaster of the site Xenu.net, said in a Usenet posting that the complaint demanded that Google take down a large number of references to different parts of Xenu.net.
"The complaint mentions a ridiculous list of addresses, which successfully removes the whole site from their engine," he said.
Search engines routinely remove links to URLs, or Web addresses, upon request to avoid litigation. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), sites cannot be held liable for copyright infringement provided they promptly take down content flagged by a copyright holder. Much of that activity has targeted links to MP3 files that turn up on search engines.
Digital rights advocates said the Church of Scientology's takedown request is noteworthy because it underscores potential conflicts between the DMCA and free speech.
"The danger is that people will attempt to silence critics under the guise of copyright infringement," said Fred von Lohmann, an attorney with San Francisco's Electronic Frontier Foundation.
In the Xenu.net case, the removed links led to pages that contain material copyrighted by the Church of Scientology. On his site, Heldal-Lund defends this use of copyrighted material, saying that he believes Scientology survives "through the protection afforded it by copyright laws in a way that copyright laws were not designed to address."
A representative for the Church of Scientology could not be immediately reached for comment.
The right to link has been the subject of several high-profile lawsuits, including a dispute between hacker publication 2600.com and the motion picture industry over code known as DeCSS that can theoretically be used to crack DVDs. In that case, a federal judge in New York held that links to the DeCSS code violated the anti-circumvention clause of the DMCA, which bars trafficking in software that can be used to defeat copy protection. That decision was upheld on appeal.
Another linking case under way in New York involves MP3 search service MP3Board.com, which is challenging the DMCA's notice and takedown provision. The case, filed in May 2000, is pending. MP3Board had created a delisting feature allowing copyright holders to pull offending links automatically, but the move did not mollify copyright holders, who were upset that the search engine included results from peer-to-peer exchanges such as Gnutella.
The EFF's von Lohmann said search engines are not required to comply with takedown notices, but that most do to avoid the risks of litigation.
"Search engines can't take on every copyright holder," he said. "It's hard to say search engines should pay for this fight themselves."
Google noted that Xenu.net has some recourse. "Google provides Webmasters the ability to have their content reinstated if they submit a counter notification to Google," the company said in a statement.
Xenu.net's Heldal-Lund said this would require the services of a lawyer and would be prohibitively expensive.
Matt Loney reported from London; Evan Hansen reported from San Francisco.
The Church of Historyology: http://creativestudios.com/?p=7
I like the Mynetics folks better than The Scientology folks.
Stop using google search. Sell your google stock. Ditch your gmail account & google homepage.
PICK a replacement for the above and we all need to promote it as a anti-cult alternative.
While Google complied with the church's request, it also quietly began to defend its freedom to link.
Now, the church's tactics might have backfired, because when the search site receives a request to remove a link, it also forwards a copy of the legal request to a civil liberties site called chillingeffects.org.
Google still links to Operation Clambake's homepage and Google's search results are based in part on links to a site.
Due to the media attention brought by the case more sites now link to Operation Clambake and a search for information on Scientology now brings up the site second only to the church's official homepage.
This is a self help site to ease stress and other mind alements.
"All that is Required for Evil to Prevail is for Good Men to do Nothing." -Edmund Burke
Anyway of these definitions, the 3rd is the one I am assuming you are referring to when you say they are "obviously a cult".
By that same definition (including the first to also)... I would say every religion is a cult?they are ALL spurious. I seem to hate scientology as much as everyone else here, and maybe it is the craziest premise for a religion.... but seriously, cannibalizing your god every sunday? koshering your meat by hanging it upside down and slitting its throat? 72 virgins for blowing yourself up? coming back as an ant or a sea urchin because you failed your gods and couldn't attain moksha? Living in the 1600s perpetually? ETC ETC ETC
ALL religions are ******* insane and based on spurious, irrational beliefs and immoral "morality", every religion with an "s" in it should be replaced with that $ sign you guys seem so fond of using for scientology, because they are ALL cons for money, power or manipulation of the masses.
Turns out they did but that they were overdoing what was asked from them by the Church of Scientology (that tried to get a page or two down that had copyrighted material on them).
Anyway, it's 2009 now, and Scientology.org has this nice ad campaign running that brought me here(via Computerworld.com).
I have been a scientologist for 23 years. My life has continuously improved. The above negative posts are, I guess, from religious zealots who prefer to attack an organization that is doing an immense amount of good in the world, than do something about it themselves. Ask yourselves, attackers, What are YOU doing? We are creating literacy programs that teach little kids to read, who would not have otherwise had the chance, bringing legal drug pushers under control, exposing abusive psych hospital practices, exposing human rights atrocities, promoting ethical behavior, freedom to chose in religion, and many other things.
And, If you find it impossible to live and let live, you have a problem, And it isn't Scientology.
Relax as you browse and shop our exclusive gallery of spectacular lithographs and original paintings available on either highest-grade canvas or parchment paper, and in both antique and modern styles.
- by wantmyownreligion October 22, 2009 10:08 PM PDT
- I am going to start the First Church of Jimmy Buffett. All it requires is flip-flops, margaritas, and some weed. We all read "A Piece of Salty Land" and talk about crazy people and actors who believe we came from a spaceship. Me, I crawled from the ocean, not from Krypton. And my religion will be free, and all services are beachside... we can even move to Clearwater, Fla., they may have some building space for lease soon!
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