FOR RELEASE: June 24, 2004

Subject: NCCFE Position

Statement on Final Judgment

Contacts:  Monty Barber, Atty

or Kate Forbes

(608)254-4431, ext. 520 or 521

THE NEW CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF FULL ENDEAVOR, LTD.

POSITION STATEMENT ON THE EFFECT OF THE FINAL JUDGMENT

VOIDING THE 1975 COPYRIGHT OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES

“Deception on a scale so vast it’s magnitude

can hardly be conceived.” (WB Lesson 139)

The Amended Final Judgment signed by Judge Sweet on June 10, 2004 voided the core and foundational copyright on the Course version copyrighted in 1975. The Amended Final Judgment means that ANY OF THE WORDS CONTAINED IN THE 1975 EDITION (known by many as the “The Criswell Edition”), WHERE EVER FOUND, ARE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR USE, WITHOUT PERMISSION, BY ANYONE, ANYHOW, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.

Both the April Judgment and the June Amended Judgment rendered the copyright on the 1975 A Course in Miracles void, and therefore in the public domain. This means any of the words contained in the 1975 version, wherever found, whether in the 1976 version, the unpublished writing known as the Urtext, the Hugh Lynn Cayce Version, the 1992 2d Edition version, and the 2004 edition, are all now in the public domain.  The Foundation for Inner Peace, Inc. and the Foundation for ‘A Course in Miracles’, Inc. have recently published their mutual opinion as to the effect of the earlier United States Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York April 28, 2004 Final Judgment. The two Foundations present a false position statement to the public in claiming that:

“The April judgment does not mean, however, that the document that has been known for the last 29 years as A Course in Miracles -- which consists of the Text (including a Preface), the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers with a Clarification of Terms incorporated as the last section of the Manual -- is now in the public domain.” (italics added).

This statement is incredulous and evidences that the Foundations intend to continue to attempt to control the public domain words of the Course and to ‘chill’ prospective publishing efforts.

The Foundations went so far as to rush the January 2004 pocketbook edition into print shortly after the Court’s October 24, 2003 ruling voiding the copyright, without waiting for the Judge Sweet’s Final Judgment. Representations by the Foundations, such as found in their copyright notice on this new edition, which states this 2004 edition is covered by a 1992 copyright and may not be used without their permission, is intended to deceive the public into believing everything in the 2004 version is copyrighted, including all of the public domain words which constitute 98% of the material; and that nothing may be used without Foundation permission. The Foundations appear to have deliberately failed to inform the public that the 2004 Course edition copyright only applies to the Preface, the numbering system and the 1500 inconsequential words added in their 1992 edition and found in their 1992 ‘Errata.’ This “backdoor” attempt to resurrect the Course copyright is contrary to the specific Finding and Amended Judgment of the Court.

The New Christian Church of Full Endeavor, Ltd. views these attempts as a violation of the April 28, 2004 Final Judgment, which voids the 1975 registration and which, with respect to any ‘renewals or attempted renewal thereof’, also asks the Register of Copyrights to ‘take such action, if any, as is appropriate.“

The Urtext. The Urtext was filed with various other “unpublished” documents and copyright was obtained in 1991 as part of “The unpublished works of Helen Schucman.” While the Church has taken the view that by reason of the Foundations’ legal assertion the Urtext and Hugh Lynn Cayce versions were “merged” into the voided 1975 copyright, and thus the entire Urtext, inclusive of any words different from the 1975 Edition is in the public domain. The judge did not specifically address this. In any event, any words from the 1975 original edition contained therein are free for use by anyone.

The Hugh Lynn Cayce Version. The Church is unable to ascertain upon what basis the Foundation claims a copyright on the Hugh Lynn Cayce version. The Hugh Lynn Cayce version was never copyrighted by FIP or FACIM. It is not physically on deposit with the U.S. Copyright Office. It is the Church’s view that it  was publicly distributed, without copyright notice.  The Church obtained evidence of this distribution during this case, which will be made available to anyone wishing it who is threatened by FIP/FACIM with litigation for using words from the Hugh Lynn Cayce version. 

The “Clarification of Terms” copyright. In 1976, FIP filed for a new copyright on the ‘Teachers Manual”, claiming ‘new matter’ entitled “Clarification of Terms.” However, the ‘Teachers Manual’ was already copyrighted under the 1975 copyright registration, which is now voided and in the public domain. The only possible claim by the Foundations is that only the “Clarification of Terms” portion remains copyrighted. This ‘new matter’ was filed under the 1909 Copyright Act, meaning that any general distribution prior to copyright is fatal. During the case, the Church obtained evidence that such a prior distribution was made in California to David Hurt by Judy Skutch herself, and an original copy of that material was submitted as an exhibit to his deposition and used by the Church in other stages of the case. Judy Skutch herself admitted distribution of this material to Hurt.

Foreign Translations. Finally, the Foundations falsely take the position that all future foreign translations “are not in the public domain as a result of the court decision.” This is a blatant attempt by the Foundations to prevent any new foreign translations or suppress previous translations of the now public domain Course. Clearly this is NOT the case, as anyone, anyhow, anywhere, anytime can now translate or re-translate the public domain words of the Course in any language they wish.

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