Posted on 07/03/2008 7:42:55 PM PDT by Grig
A three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of FairLDS, Scott Gordon, and Allen Wyatt and against Sandra Tanner and Utah Lighthouse Ministry.
This lawsuit was an effort to limit free speech by making an online parody websites legally actionable. The case was previously thrown out in summery judgment by the Tenth Circuit Court for the District of Utah, but Mrs. Tanner appealed.
You can read the full court ruling here:
http://www.ck10.uscourts.gov/opinions/07/07-4095.pdf
You can read a write-up from the Citizen Media Law Project on the judgment here:
http://tinyurl.com/58dvho
Here is the original District judge's ruling that was affirmed:
http://www.thelen.com/tlu/UtahLighthouseVDiscoveryComputing.pdf
The look of that building reminds me a lot of where the Supreme Court of Canada meets. Weird
“so they were forced to go the route of subterfuge and deceit.”
Except two courts rejected the idea that there was anything deceptive about it. It was a very clear example of tounge in cheek parody, which REQUIRES the reader to realize that it is a deliberate parody to get the joke.
What was deceptive (or just stupid) was suing for trademark infringement when THEY HAD NO TRADEMARK.
Pretty unique situation: the mainstreamers have to admit that the plaintiff here was either deceptive or stupid.
I wonder which they will choose.
“It just goes to show how dishonest Mormons are about their own religion.”
Seems more to show how anti-Mormons react to parody exactly the same way that liberals react to parody. The courts ruled that ULM’s complaints were without merit... twice. Just because you wish it was otherwise doesn’t make it so.
The courts ruled (twice) that what they did was not cybersquating.
Have a happy 4th of July.
“And yet, you have not a single problem with deception, lies and Cybersquatting by FARM and FAIR. How well we know your hypocrisy OMM.”
The courts deny the validity of those accusations twice, but you (and other posters known for their anti-Mormon bias), with extremely little knowledge of the details of the case feel perfectly comfortable pronouncing a completely opposite judgment. I have no doubt that if this case was instead the Tanners defending a parody site of FairLDS that you would quite happy about the ruling. And for the record, I have no problem with them doing just that as long as they keep it within the bounds of the law like FairLDS did.
Oh no. Not more acronyms to remember.
[Except two courts rejected the idea that there was anything deceptive about it. It was a very clear example of tounge in cheek parody, which REQUIRES the reader to realize that it is a deliberate parody to get the joke.]
Come now, the joke is that Mormons are so paranoid about the Tanners that they would stoop so low.
Heck, you guys can’t even take postings of your secret handshakes or underwear without going ballistic. I think we know who can’t take a joke.
[The bottom line here is that an attempt to stifle freedom of speech was stopped.]
If they had put up only one mirror site, it would be a parody. Multiple sites is an attempt to swamp Tanner’s free speech with a cyber bullying technique similar to denial of service attacks. No joking there, that’s just cyber thuggery. The Constitution may allow it, but honesty does not.
Happy Independence Day...!!
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I just don't understand why humans want to take the truth that was given to us 2,000 years ago, and try to mangle it. People have attempted to add to it, dilute it, mis translate it, start entirely new religions using a portion of of it.
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Let me tell you something. You are not only smart, but you are wise. You have discernment given by the Holy Spirit.
My friends will tell you the same thing.
Cults extract vast amounts of money from their members. They then purchase property, and over time have bank accounts in the Billions.
If the cult member protest or ask to not give the money, the cult will retaliate. Subtle at first. Then, not so much.
It’s not just that the Mormons should be embarrassed by this victory.
They should examine themselves and see if what FAIR did was actually a pursuit of furthering the work of the Lord. If not, I would imagine that they would want to distance themselves from the same behavior.
Winning a legal victory does not equate to winning a moral victory, in this instance.
Yes and we all know how JUST those courts can be - just ask cannon.
I typed in sandratanner.org and it took me to utlm.org.
You're right! In fact, most of the other links listed in the lawsuit take you to utlm.org.
I would guess FAIR relented following the filing of suit and released the names, at which time they were acquired by Sandra Tanner.
The Mormon Church is all about deception and fraud. If there is one thing the Mormon Church has done well over the last 170 years, it has been deceit.
If the price of sour grapes goes up like everything else some people here will make a killing.
Here’s my opinion about the ruling. FAIR should have won, it was a parody site. Sandra Tanner should have copyrighted and she didn’t.
OTOH, Gerald and Sandra Tanner get away with a lot of editing of LDS church history. They are/were very good at taking a quote out of context. In 1999, the Tanners were asked by the LDS Church to remove the 17 pages of the LDS Church handbook the Tanners had posted on their website. The Tanners refused and the LDS church sued. It’s a matter of copyright laws. Only, maybe it isn’t for us members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?
And I don’t agree with the parody website. I don’t want to be holier than thou, but I don’t think it was very Christian or kind to post a site like that. I’ve run across some sites like that and they aren’t funny to the recipients. At least that is my 2 cents worth.
I suppose nobody likes it when their ox gets gored BUT that is the price of living in a free society with the First Ten Amendments to the Constitution. I am willing to take it on the chin from a satire site in order to live in freedom.
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