Copyright Dispute Blocks Biography of Scientology Founder

Federal judge Tuesday blocked publication of an unauthorized, critical biography of the late L. Ron Hubbard, the controversial author and founder of the Church of Scientology, unless certain copyright-protected passages are deleted.

U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton granted both preliminary and permanent injunctions in favor of New Era Publications International, a Danish corporation related to the church which is the exclusive licensee of Hubbard’s works.

New Era was authorized to publish a biography of Hubbard, who died in 1986, that will draw on his published and unpublished writings, the judge said.

Jonathan Caven-Atack wrote “A Piece of Blue Sky,” the contested, unauthorized Hubbard biography that was to be published by Carol Publishing Group. New Era filed suit because it says the book would contain copyright materials.