LifeWise Academy Files Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Concerned Parent
A nonprofit provider of Christian instruction to public schools has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against a concerned Ohio parent claiming that he improperly uploaded and shared proprietary instructional materials with families. The suit was filed on July 2nd against a parent who strongly believes that public schools should be free of religious indoctrination, especially when it’s offered for payment.
The company, LifeWise, calls itself a “privately funded Christian non-profit that provides public school families with ‘released time’ religious instruction in traditional, character-based, Biblical teaching during school hours.” Released time would include lunch breaks and non-core instruction such as art, music, or study halls.
The concerned parent said he volunteered to become a LifeWise instructor in the hopes of learning more about the company’s teaching. During his training, he was able to access the company’s entire curriculum. He was shocked and called it “indoctrination.” Ultimately, he copied the materials onto his personal computer and shared them with a network of individuals who also believe in the “Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.” The Establishment Clause prohibits Congress from passing any law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the exercise thereof.
According to the lawsuit, LifeWise asked the concerned parent to remove the materials calling his actions “willful copyright infringement involving registered copyrighted works obtained by deceit.” The parent refused to remove the materials. LifeWise also filed a report with the local police department stating that the parent hacked into its computer systems. However, the police were unable to determine whether the parent unlawfully accessed the materials or LifeWise accidentally allowed him access to them. No charges were filed.
LifeWise has argued that the concerned parent’s primary purpose was to “harm LifeWise’s reputation and galvanize parents to oppose local LifeWise Academy chapters in their communities. The parent does not dispute this contention. He believes it’s “pretty shady” to hide the curriculum from parents.
LifeWise is hoping the parent will stop maligning it, remove the allegedly copyrighted materials, and pay court costs. The company claims that it lost revenue after the parent shared full texts of the registered copyrighted works which readers would otherwise have to purchase in paper format or pay to acquire in digital format.
Talk to a Copyright Infringement Lawyer Today
Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC represents the interests of those involved in copyright infringement laws. If you are being sued by a company for copyright infringement, you could face substantial fines for intentional misuse of copyrighted material. If someone has illegally used your copyrighted material for their own personal gain, you stand to lose credibility in the marketplace. Call our Columbus consumer lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin advising you on the best path forward right away.
Source:
dispatch.com/story/news/courts/2024/07/06/copyright-lawsuit-filed-by-hilliard-christian-group-against-critic/74310083007/
