Editing "I AM" Activity (section)

=== Copyright infringement civil action ===
In 1941, the Ballards were sued for copyright infringement by the family and estate of Frederick Spencer Oliver (1866–1899), "amenuensis" of the novel ''[[A Dweller on Two Planets]]'', first published in 1905. The suit was dismissed for failure to state cause of action. District Judge Dawkins quoted the original foreword to Oliver's book in its entirety, wherein Oliver emphasized that he was not the author but had [[Mediumship#Channeling|channeled]] the book from the spirit of a previously deceased person with the intent of preserving and conveying the story and teachings of that person's world; and the book had been copyrighted with Oliver as a proprietor, not as the author. Judge Dawkins pointed out that the Ballards had stated they were using similar methods to write their books and that this in itself wasn't enough to uphold the action in court.<ref>''[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/41/296/2374357/ Oliver v. Saint Germain Foundation, 41 F. Supp. 296 (S.D. Cal. 1941)]''.</ref>