Quote

http://m-net.net.nz/latest-news/870/google-seals-youtube-marriage-/1/read.php

"Meanwhile, a French filmmaker is suing Google for hosting a controversial documentary about alleged cult the Landmark Forum on Google Video and YouTube. The unnamed plaintiff seeks $193,000 in damages, but the lawsuit poses a much larger threat for Google in the form of precedent."

It's not france 3 doing the sueing though is it? Is this true?

It is unknown at this point, though more likely it is still Art Schreiber and Landmark Education, especially in light of their frivolous Cease and Desist letter to Apologetics Index in Amsterdam...

The guy in that article is probably just assuming stuff from the Reuters news feed.

Looks like there's a translated relevant article from 2005 up at the Rick Ross site:

With the gurus wearing neckties : 395 euros for three days

Le Nouvel Observateur/May 19, 2005
By Marie Lemonnier
[www.culteducation.com]

new post up from EFF with news:

[www.eff.org]

Apparently the CAIC site has been the target of frivolous legal intimidation as well.

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While Landmark's US DMCA campaign was ongoing, the controversial video remained available on the website of the Australian Cult Awareness & Information Centre. But this week, Landmark's Australian lawyers entered the picture with a cease and desist letter of their own, sent to CAIC's ISP StudioSolutions, and still asserting the same tired copyright claim. While Australian copyright law is different that the US, it doesn't give you a copyright on someone else's video.

Its really very important work the EFF is doing here.

There are some interesting points in the article.
[www.eff.org]

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The French television station that broadcast the documentary has not objected to its appearance online.

That seems to point toward the idea that the Google lawsuit in France is not from the TV station.

Landmark has hired a lawyer in Australia to tell the CAIC to take down the video in 7 days, or they will sue them. They also have the sheer idiocy to tell them to REMOVE ANY LINKS TO THE VIDEO! Landmark is out of their legal minds, and drunk with delusions of grandeur.
Are they going to sue the Google cache as well for the links in it?
Hopefully the CAIC is going to be able to get some legal assistance to fight off Landmark.

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In public statements, Landmark General Counsel Art Schreiber insists that Landmark supports free speech. We urge Landmark to take a stand for the principles of free expression and get out of the censorship racket--the answer to criticism is to explain and promote your own view. Landmark may believe that using copyright notices to takedown criticism is a winning formula, but it will ultimately come back to haunt Landmark.

I like the way they use the word "racket", nice touch.
Its great to see that the EFF is playing hardball with Landmark.

But its clear that Landmark will file many lawsuits to try to stop the video. Its very clear they are willing to spend large amounts of money trying to bully, and threaten people, and continue on their Internet Censorship Campaign.

Bottom line, its time to really take off the gloves, and for people to get to work and engage in daily ACTIVISM globally exposing Landmarks attempts at Internet Censorship.
If people spent just 30 minutes a day posting links, and publicizing what Landmark is doing, it would really begin to add up. They could post to newsgroups, forums...contact media outlets, and do anything else they can think of.

I suppose that some folks out there have already figured out how to upload the Landmark expose' video from an anonymous internet cafe, and to put it up on some website perhaps in Russia, or somewhere else that is harder for Landmark to file more frivolous attacks. Then even if the CAIC website is forced to drop the video, there will be another place to link to for people to download it, as not everyone has a bit-torrent application.
One supposes the video could go on the other P2P networks as well.

Hopefully, once Landmark loses this battle, then this video will be the start of the downfall of Landmark.

Quote

Bottom line, its time to really take off the gloves, and for people to get to work and engage in daily ACTIVISM globally exposing Landmarks attempts at Internet Censorship.
If people spent just 30 minutes a day posting links, and publicizing what Landmark is doing, it would really begin to add up. They could post to newsgroups, forums...contact media outlets, and do anything else they can think of.

I suppose that some folks out there have already figured out how to upload the Landmark expose' video from an anonymous internet cafe, and to put it up on some website perhaps in Russia, or somewhere else that is harder for Landmark to file more frivolous attacks. Then even if the CAIC website is forced to drop the video, there will be another place to link to for people to download it, as not everyone has a bit-torrent application.
One supposes the video could go on the other P2P networks as well.

Hopefully, once Landmark loses this battle, then this video will be the start of the downfall of Landmark.

If this could somehow get to be a major piece featured on www.SLASHDOT.org, and www.FARK.com, and other sites like that, that would drive lots of traffic to this issue.

www.SLASHDOT.org has a readership of One Million Members. Therefore, if even half of one percent of the readers download the video, or get involved after a hypothetical main-page post/link on Slashdot, that 5,000 people...

> I like the way they use the word "racket", nice touch.

"Winning formula" is also Landmark jargon which EFF has turned back on them.

Are there any progressive European countries that could host the Landmark videos?
For instance, Operation Clambake is in Norway, and has survived somehow.
[www.xenu.net]
Maybe they would have a subsection for Landmark there, due to the Scientology connection? Germany seems to have laws that support cult criticism.

It would be great to have a temporary place for people to see the video, if the CAIC takes the video down, until the EFF action is settled. After the EFF kicks Landmark to the curb, then hopefully the videos can be posted all over the world.

Hey, does anyone know someone who knows someone who knows how to post a "binary" of the video to some Usenet Newsgroups? That might also be a way to get the word out.

Of course, streaming video is the best and easiest.
There must be some type of "Russian YouTube" out there, and one doubts that the Russians would even listen to Art Schreiber's rambling blatherings.

Interesting blog post:

[www.modemac.com]

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To the surprise of many kook-watchers, it appears that Landmark has recently begun following in Scientology's footsteps. After maintaining a relatively low profile online (at least when compared to other high-attention cults), Landmark is throwing legal threats left and right against Web sites that have posted links to a video called Inside the Landmark Forum. What's more, they've already sued Google Video over this video. It's another one of those "inside information" videos (like the recent movie The Bridge) that offers a look on what it's really like in the organization, using a lot of hidden-camera footage that shows things Landmark really doesn't want you to see.

Oops. Sorry, Landmark, but this is the 21st century now. At least Scientology learned its lesson – sort of – ten years ago. Now, apparently, it's your turn.

[b:d3624cb401]Apologetics Index threatened by Landmark Education[/b:d3624cb401]
(blog coverage on the issue)

[www.benedictionblogson.com]

I especially liked this part:

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Sometimes I think we forget there are a lot of people behind the scenes fighting for our freedom to keep information open and available online.

Sometimes I think Art Schreiber and Landmark forget this as well...

The latter day [b:d140d16fb7]ESTmarkian Erhardian Ayatollahahs of Authenticity[/b:d140d16fb7] have managed the almost unthinkable, they have simultaneously shot themselves in both feet, made utter public asses and objects of derision of themselves, let every cat out of the bag, mixed unthinkable metaphors, and generally messed up real bad.... the blowback from their [b:d140d16fb7]Jihad of Joy[/b:d140d16fb7] , The Great Crusade Of Sealed Lips, has been, like, not exactly propitious or it don't take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows....

[jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com]