Hubbard v Vosper | |
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Court | Court of Appeal of England and Wales |
Full case name | Hubbard and another v Vosper and another |
Decided | 17-19 November 1971 |
Citation | [1972] 2 Q.B. 84 |
Court membership | |
Judges sitting | Lord Denning Lord Megaw Lord Stephenson |
Keywords | |
Hubbard v Vosper, [1972] 2 Q.B. 84, is a leading English copyright law case on the defence of fair dealing. The Church of Scientology sued a former member, Cyril Vosper, for copyright infringement due to the publication of a book, The Mind Benders, criticizing Scientology. The Church of Scientology alleged that the books contained material copied from books and documents written by L. Ron Hubbard, as well as containing confidential information pertaining to Scientology courses. Vosper successfully defended the claim under the fair dealing doctrine, with the Court of Appeal deciding unanimously in his favour. The judgment given by Lord Denning clarified the scope and content of the fair dealing defence.