Dear Thelemites;

             Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

      It pains me to have to announce that New Falcon Publications has
   threatened to sue the OTO if the text files of the original Magick
   Without Tears, and the commentaries on Liber AL are not pulled from all
   BBSs. They claim that it is an infringement of their contract with the
   OTO to allow such electronic distribution, even though their edition of
   Magick Without Tears is only 2/3 of the real thing, and their Law is for
   All is in a similar state of abridgement.

      The Caliph has asked me to remove them from BaphoNet, and I am going
   to do so as soon as I receive an official notice in the mail. I object
   strenuously to this form of fascist restriction, and to be honest, had
   thought much better of Chris Hyatt. It may not be his fault, as the
   threats have come from one of his minions, who has used so many fake
   names in his dealings with us that we were not even aware that it was
   all the same person. As soon as I receive the official request to remove
   the files, I will do so, though in anger, so be sure to get them from
   here or wherever else before then. I would like to see them available,
   but not at the cost of having the OTO sued by some assholes, so I ask
   all sysops to remove them until New Falcon either comes to their senses,
   or dies from this bad karma. So much for them being an enlightened
   publisher!

      I think that person is just on a power trip, since I can't believe
   that the availability of different versions of a text in electronic
   format can possibly eat into their profits, but they are the ones with
   bucks to sue, and our lawyer says that their contract covers electronic
   distribution, and that we would lose if sued. I do not believe this
   either, but I am not in a position to make OTO policy. I question the
   OTO's copyright on the books in the first place, as they were in the one
   case published by Regardie and copyrighted by him in 1975, and in the
   other case was published by Germer in 1954, and copyrighted by him. The
   edition of MWT that New Falcon is selling is the shortened version
   published (and copyrighted by) Israel Regardie. And of course, it is
   questionable as to whether either man had the right to claim copyright
   in their own name, but that is a side issue at best.

      I have been asked to comply with New Falcon's unreasonable and
   childish requests, and will do so for now, but only under protest. I
   will prepare a file of the material from Magick without Tears that is
   not in the New Falcon edition, and make that available in the future,
   same with the Commentaries, the files of which are based on the
   typescripts that the 93 Publishing edition was based on. I hope to
   create a similar ``difference file'' for it as well.

      My apologies for the actions of the assholes at New Falcon
   Publications, and also for my acquiescence, but I feel that discretion
   is the better part of valor at this point. They will suffer for it in
   the future, I assure everyone.


                 Love is the law, love under will.



                           Antony Wm. Iannotti
                           Sysop, Baphonet-by-the-Sea

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