Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network
Encyclopedia
Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, also known as FACTNet, co-founded by Robert Penny and Lawrence Wollersheim, is a Colorado
-based organization committed to educating and facilitating communication about destructive mind control
. Coercive tactics, or "coercive psychological systems", are defined on their website as "unethical mind control such as brainwashing, thought reform, destructive persuasion and coercive persuasion". While this appears to cover a massive array of issues, in practice FACTNet's primary dedication is to the exposure and disruption of cult
activity.
(RTC), a sub-organization of the Church of Scientology
created to oversee the protection of its trademarks and copyrights. In August 1995 RTC lawyers went to a Denver judge alleging copyright infringement and illegal use of Scientology
documents by FACTNet, a vocal critic of the organization's practices. A raid of two directors' homes was conducted on August 21, 1995 by two U.S. marshals and six RTC representatives, with the actual search for incriminating documents conducted by the RTC alone. Witnesses of the searches testified that the marshals allowed the RTC representatives to go far beyond the scope of the order in their search for information. The marshals also failed to search the representatives before or after the search, making it possible for them to carry off disks and other documents containing critical information. FACTNet immediately accused the Church of Scientology of attempting to silence their voice by stealing and contaminating information vital to their continued attacks and lawsuits against the Church. The raids provoked debate both on the internet and in the university setting, with university protesters in Denver, Colorado
holding signs that read: "Hands Off the Internet" and "Scientology Harasses Critics," while counterprotesters at the Boulder County Courthouse carried signs such as: "Only criminals spread lawlessness on the Internet."
FACTNet filed a lawsuit, and on September 14, 1995 a Federal judge ruled the seizure illegal because it violated FACTNet's right to free speech on the internet, and ordered the RTC to return all computers and files that were seized. In his ruling in United States District Court
, Judge John Kane stated: "The public interest is best served by the free exchange of ideas." Nevertheless, FACTNet states that it has incurred irreparable damage, as the secrecy of its documents had been violated by the RTC. An attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
approved of the Judge's decision in the matter, stating: "They certainly do not have the right to seize everything and to fish around. There seems to be this thought that things that are contained on a computer aren't subject to the same protections. I think the law is catching up." Helena K. Kobrin a Church of Scientology attorney with the firm Moxon & Kobrin
, defended the seizures of the computers, saying after the judge's decision: "The decision yesterday was a very sad day for intellectual property owners and a very sad day for the Internet."
In a series of cases, Scientology (through subsidiary Bridge Publications
) sued FACTNet for claimed copyright violations. In 1998, federal judge John Kane denied Scientology's request for summary judgment because FACTNet challenged Scientology's ownership of the copyrights of the documents. A settlement was later reached in 1999, whose terms were that if FACTNet is ever found guilty of violations of church copyrights, they are permanently enjoined to pay the church $1 million.
FACTNet has maintained a relatively low news profile since 1999, occasionally cited for speaking out against topics they consider important. The 2000 film Battlefield Earth
starring John Travolta
stirred up controversy because it was based on a book by L. R. Hubbard
, the founder of the Church of Scientology, and Travolta was a well-known Scientologist. The Guardian
reported on FACTnet's claims that the film was a proselytism
piece for Scientology, noting: "FACTnet suggested that subliminal messages had been cunningly inserted by Scientologists to win over new converts to join the church." The makers of the film asserted that it had nothing to do with the Church of Scientology, but The New York Times
reported on FACTnet's assertions that: "..the film was secretly financed by Scientology, and that Scientology plans recruiting efforts to coincide with the movie's release." Sociology professor James Richardson
did not agree with FACTnet's claims, stating: "I seriously doubt that someone is going to go out and join Scientology just because they see this movie." In 2002, after Lawrence Wollersheim won an USD$8.7 million judgement against the Church of Scientology, FACTnet posted a statement from him on the site, quoting: "The cult that vowed it would never pay me one thin dime has now paid over 86 million thin dimes." FACTNet spoke out in support of an episode of the TV show South Park
, awarding their staff the "FACTNet Person(s) of the Year for 2005" for the satirical episode on Scientology, "Trapped in the Closet". In 2006, FACTnet director Wollersheim was consulted for the 48 Hours
story on the death of Scientologist Elli Perkins
, "Scientology - A Question of Faith." Wollersheim was quoted in the piece, stating: "Scientology. They are the worst example of mind control in a religious setting that has ever existed". The program also noted that the Church of Scientology characterizes him as a "liar and a fraud," and asserts that most of its members live happy and fulfilled lives.
are cited in analysis of fair use
law. The book Internet and Online Law noted that "reproduction in computer format of plaintiff's entire copyrighted texts for defendants' private use and study falls well within the fair use exception." The work Cyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age characterized FACTNet as part of the "publishers and posters" group, when analyzing Scientology related legal cases in the chapter: "The Battle over Copyright on the Net." The author also placed Dennis Erlich and Arnie Lerma in this classification while analyzing actions taken by the Church of Scientology, which the author calls a "famously litigious organization."
and Jim Siegelman
in the 1995 edition of their book Snapping
. The book California by Andrea Schulte-Peevers asks readers to consult FACTNet and draw their own conclusions about whether Scientology is a "Mind-control cult, trendy fad or true religion." The St. Petersburg Times
described the site as an: "Anti-cult site that focuses on Scientology and its legal battles." The Washington Post
noted that the site contains "several books and thousands of pages of documents relating to Scientology." Web sites of groups followed by FACTnet are grouped on the site next to those of related watchdog organizations and critical sites. In a piece on the company Landmark Education
, The Boston Globe
noted that FACTnet listed the group in its database of: "cults, groups and individuals that are alleged to be using coercive persuasion mind control techniques," though the organization has a history of suing those that refer to it as a "cult."
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
-based organization committed to educating and facilitating communication about destructive mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
. Coercive tactics, or "coercive psychological systems", are defined on their website as "unethical mind control such as brainwashing, thought reform, destructive persuasion and coercive persuasion". While this appears to cover a massive array of issues, in practice FACTNet's primary dedication is to the exposure and disruption of cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
activity.
Conflict with Church of Scientology
In 1995 FACTNet was featured in the news due to a lawsuit regarding the seizure of FACTNet servers and files by the Religious Technology CenterReligious Technology Center
The Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
(RTC), a sub-organization of the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
created to oversee the protection of its trademarks and copyrights. In August 1995 RTC lawyers went to a Denver judge alleging copyright infringement and illegal use of Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
documents by FACTNet, a vocal critic of the organization's practices. A raid of two directors' homes was conducted on August 21, 1995 by two U.S. marshals and six RTC representatives, with the actual search for incriminating documents conducted by the RTC alone. Witnesses of the searches testified that the marshals allowed the RTC representatives to go far beyond the scope of the order in their search for information. The marshals also failed to search the representatives before or after the search, making it possible for them to carry off disks and other documents containing critical information. FACTNet immediately accused the Church of Scientology of attempting to silence their voice by stealing and contaminating information vital to their continued attacks and lawsuits against the Church. The raids provoked debate both on the internet and in the university setting, with university protesters in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
holding signs that read: "Hands Off the Internet" and "Scientology Harasses Critics," while counterprotesters at the Boulder County Courthouse carried signs such as: "Only criminals spread lawlessness on the Internet."
FACTNet filed a lawsuit, and on September 14, 1995 a Federal judge ruled the seizure illegal because it violated FACTNet's right to free speech on the internet, and ordered the RTC to return all computers and files that were seized. In his ruling in United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
, Judge John Kane stated: "The public interest is best served by the free exchange of ideas." Nevertheless, FACTNet states that it has incurred irreparable damage, as the secrecy of its documents had been violated by the RTC. An attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
approved of the Judge's decision in the matter, stating: "They certainly do not have the right to seize everything and to fish around. There seems to be this thought that things that are contained on a computer aren't subject to the same protections. I think the law is catching up." Helena K. Kobrin a Church of Scientology attorney with the firm Moxon & Kobrin
Moxon & Kobrin
Moxon & Kobrin is a law firm with its headquarters located in the Wilshire Center Building in Wilshire Center, Los Angeles, California, consisting of Kendrick Moxon, Helena Kobrin, and Ava Paquette....
, defended the seizures of the computers, saying after the judge's decision: "The decision yesterday was a very sad day for intellectual property owners and a very sad day for the Internet."
In a series of cases, Scientology (through subsidiary Bridge Publications
Bridge Publications
Bridge Publications may refer to:*Bridge Publications , the Church of Scientology's North American publishing arm*Bridge Publications , a United Kingdom publisher of guides to vacation and holiday activities in the UK and Ireland...
) sued FACTNet for claimed copyright violations. In 1998, federal judge John Kane denied Scientology's request for summary judgment because FACTNet challenged Scientology's ownership of the copyrights of the documents. A settlement was later reached in 1999, whose terms were that if FACTNet is ever found guilty of violations of church copyrights, they are permanently enjoined to pay the church $1 million.
FACTNet has maintained a relatively low news profile since 1999, occasionally cited for speaking out against topics they consider important. The 2000 film Battlefield Earth
Battlefield Earth (film)
Battlefield Earth is a 2000 American science fiction film adapted from L. Ron Hubbard's novel of the same name. It was directed by Roger Christian, and stars John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, and Barry Pepper...
starring John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
stirred up controversy because it was based on a book by L. R. Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
, the founder of the Church of Scientology, and Travolta was a well-known Scientologist. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reported on FACTnet's claims that the film was a proselytism
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...
piece for Scientology, noting: "FACTnet suggested that subliminal messages had been cunningly inserted by Scientologists to win over new converts to join the church." The makers of the film asserted that it had nothing to do with the Church of Scientology, but The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported on FACTnet's assertions that: "..the film was secretly financed by Scientology, and that Scientology plans recruiting efforts to coincide with the movie's release." Sociology professor James Richardson
James Richardson (sociologist)
James T. Richardson is a Professor of Sociology and Judicial Studies, and the Director of the Master of Judicial Studies Degree Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Richardson specializes in social and behavioral science evidence, Sociology of Religions and New Religious Movements, Sociology...
did not agree with FACTnet's claims, stating: "I seriously doubt that someone is going to go out and join Scientology just because they see this movie." In 2002, after Lawrence Wollersheim won an USD$8.7 million judgement against the Church of Scientology, FACTnet posted a statement from him on the site, quoting: "The cult that vowed it would never pay me one thin dime has now paid over 86 million thin dimes." FACTNet spoke out in support of an episode of the TV show South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, awarding their staff the "FACTNet Person(s) of the Year for 2005" for the satirical episode on Scientology, "Trapped in the Closet". In 2006, FACTnet director Wollersheim was consulted for the 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
story on the death of Scientologist Elli Perkins
Elli Perkins
Elli Perkins née Present was a mother of two, a professional glass artist, and a Scientologist who lived in Western New York. She was a senior auditor at the Church of Scientology in Buffalo, New York....
, "Scientology - A Question of Faith." Wollersheim was quoted in the piece, stating: "Scientology. They are the worst example of mind control in a religious setting that has ever existed". The program also noted that the Church of Scientology characterizes him as a "liar and a fraud," and asserts that most of its members live happy and fulfilled lives.
Internet law
Legal cases involving the organization and the Religious Technology CenterReligious Technology Center
The Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
are cited in analysis of fair use
Fair use
Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders...
law. The book Internet and Online Law noted that "reproduction in computer format of plaintiff's entire copyrighted texts for defendants' private use and study falls well within the fair use exception." The work Cyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age characterized FACTNet as part of the "publishers and posters" group, when analyzing Scientology related legal cases in the chapter: "The Battle over Copyright on the Net." The author also placed Dennis Erlich and Arnie Lerma in this classification while analyzing actions taken by the Church of Scientology, which the author calls a "famously litigious organization."
Resource
The FACTNet newsletter is described in the book Project Censored Guide to Independent Media and Activism as: "the oldest and largest cult and mind control resource on the internet." The organization is also cited as a resource by Flo ConwayFlo Conway
Florence D. Conway is a social activist and former journalist for the Saturday Evening Post.Following the Jonestown deaths of 1978, Dr. Conway testified on February 5, 1979 regarding "The Cult Phenomenon in the United States" along with Jim Siegelman at joint House-U.S. Senate hearings on cult...
and Jim Siegelman
Jim Siegelman
Jim Siegelman is the author of several books about the rise of what he terms cults in America.Along with Flo Conway, he testified at joint House-U.S. Senate hearings on "cult practices" and also received the Leo J...
in the 1995 edition of their book Snapping
Snapping
Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change is a 1978 anti-cult book which describes the authors' theory of religious conversion, called snapping in terms of mind control, is a mental process through which, the authors argue, a person is recruited by a cult or other religious...
. The book California by Andrea Schulte-Peevers asks readers to consult FACTNet and draw their own conclusions about whether Scientology is a "Mind-control cult, trendy fad or true religion." The St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
described the site as an: "Anti-cult site that focuses on Scientology and its legal battles." The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
noted that the site contains "several books and thousands of pages of documents relating to Scientology." Web sites of groups followed by FACTnet are grouped on the site next to those of related watchdog organizations and critical sites. In a piece on the company Landmark Education
Landmark Education
Landmark Education LLC is a personal training and development company which offers educational programs in approximately 115 locations in more than 20 countries worldwide....
, The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
noted that FACTnet listed the group in its database of: "cults, groups and individuals that are alleged to be using coercive persuasion mind control techniques," though the organization has a history of suing those that refer to it as a "cult."
See also
- Copyright infringementCopyright infringementCopyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
- Fair useFair useFair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders...
- Freedom of speechFreedom of speechFreedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
- Scientology and the legal systemScientology and the legal systemThe Church of Scientology has been involved in court disputes in several countries. In some cases, when the Church has initiated the dispute, question has been raised as to its motives. The Church says that its use of the legal system is necessary to protect its intellectual property and its right...
- Scientology controversyScientology controversySince the Church of Scientology's inception in 1954, numerous Scientologists have been involved in scandals, at times serving prison sentences for crimes, such as those committed in Operation Snow White...
- Search and seizureSearch and seizureSearch and seizure is a legal procedure used in many civil law and common law legal systems whereby police or other authorities and their agents, who suspect that a crime has been committed, do a search of a person's property and confiscate any relevant evidence to the crime.Some countries have...