I am publishing selected works by L. Ron Hubbard from the period approximately 1950 to 1977 based on careful legal review and in accordance with international copyright standards.
🔍 1. Historical chain of rights
The original publication rights to the works of L. Ron Hubbard were held by:
- the Hubbard Communications Office (HCO) in the 1950s (not legally capable),
- then by the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International (HASI Inc.), a US non-profit organization.
HASI Inc. was dissolved by a California court in 1977 without any formal transfer of assets, in particular copyrights, to a legal successor being documented.
The organizations RTC (1982) and CST (1983), which were founded later, rely exclusively on a will of L. Ron Hubbard, which is not legally sufficient to retroactively transfer corporate assets. A will cannot transfer rights that have already been assigned to a legal entity during the testator's lifetime.
📚 2. Legal assessment
Due to these circumstances, many works are considered orphaned works, as the last known rights holder (HASI Inc.) no longer exists and there is no documented chain of rights.
In addition, the following applies:
- For works published before 1964 in the United States and not renewed, protection under US law has expired. These works are in the public domain there.
- Publications are made exclusively in and from the United States of America, in compliance with the legal situation applicable there.
🛡️ 3. No active rights claims by CST or RTC
In the past, I have repeatedly contacted organizations such as CST and RTC to clarify any rights claims. These organizations have so far refused to prove their legal succession or ownership of the works in question.
Furthermore, no active measures have been taken against me, which can be interpreted as tacit acceptance of my legally sound position.
✅ 4. Good Faith Publishing
I act on the basis of:
- extensive historical and legal research,
- referring to publicly available sources (e.g., HCO Policy Letters, court decisions, US Copyright Renewal Records),
- and in the spirit of preserving and archiving the intellectual heritage of L. Ron Hubbard, which would otherwise be withheld from the public.