By Michael Hichborn at the LEPANTO INSTITUTE
In August of 2017, InfoVaticana, a small Catholic news portal based in Madrid, Spain, was surprised to receive a letter from Baker & McKenzie, the second largest law firm in the world, demanding that InfoVaticana transfer its domain (www.infovaticana.com) to the Vatican Secretariat of State. The reason for the demand was that the Vatican alleges that it possesses exclusive property rights over the name of the physical center of the Catholic world. The letter stated that InfoVaticana had seven days to comply with this order and that failing to do so would result in an exceedingly expensive lawsuit.
InfoVaticana, which was launched in May of 2013, says that it is “a free and independent media that has the vocation to serve the Catholic Church and society.” It’s stated mission is to “deepen the denunciation of Christianophobia and the corruption that the Church uses, the rejection of the totalitarian impositions of the powerful LGBT lobby and the support of our brothers, the persecuted Christians.”
InfoVaticana has written articles critical of the homosexual influence in the Vatican, Pope Francis’s Amoris Laetitia, the Vatican’s scandalous handling of the Order of Malta, the provision of a medal to a radical pro-abortion politician, and many other concerns held by Catholics around the world.
In early 2017, InfoVaticana filed a trademark request for its name beside the Emblem of the Vatican State. It wasn’t long before InfoVaticana discovered that it could not trademark a national emblem, and so on March 27, 2017, it withdrew its trademark application and opted to trademark its name along with a more generic pair of crossed keys instead.
The trouble began two months later, when on May 15, InfoVaticana received a letter from Baker & McKenzie on behalf of the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The letter argued that the crossed keys “represent the symbolic emblem of the Christ Delivering Keys to St. Peter [and] are an integral part of the Emblem,” and when combined with the name “InfoVaticana,” the public may draw the “wrongful and misleading impression that the Website is officially linked or directly managed by the Holy See.” As such, the letter requests that InfoVaticana withdraw its trademark application and cease using the Emblem of the Vatican State and the combined image of InfoVaticana with the crossed keys.
In August of 2017, InfoVaticana received a second letter from Baker & McKenzie, this time demanding that in addition to no longer using the crossed keys with the name InfoVaticana, InfoVaticana actually cease using the name “InfoVaticana” at all and turn the website domain over to the Secretary of State. The letter argues that the crossed keys used in InfoVaticana’s application for its trademarked logo is a violation of the Vatican’s intellectual property in the form of “State Symbols.” Such argumentation would imply that any portion of the formal symbols representing Vatican City (the Cross, the keys, a tassel, a gold and white flag) are prohibited from use by any entity without express permission from the Vatican.
If this is actually the case, then the Vatican would need to pursue lawsuits against the following as well:
The Society of the Crossed Keys
But then the letter from Baker & McKenzie gets even more ridiculous. In addition to demanding that InfoVaticana refrain from using the crossed keys as a symbol of the website, the letter demands:
4) Immediately transfer in favor of the Secretary of State (or in favor of whom it designates), the domain name http://www.infovaticana.com.
Why? Because:
“the domain name infovaticana.com (the “Name of Infringing Domain”) incorporates the vocabulary “INFOVATICANA” that, as seen, induces the public to error about the nature and origin of the service offered by you.
In short, the described uses not authorized by the Secretary of State on the Website in the Name of the Infringing Domain and the way in which your Website and the business carried out by you are presented to the public constitute clear infractions of the State Symbols and other signs that designate the Vatican institution that the Secretary of State is not willing to tolerate.”
In other words, the argument is that (forgetting that InfoVaticana’s “about us” page clearly states that it is “a free and independent media” site) InfoVaticana gives the appearance that it is an officially sanctioned Vatican website (it does not) and so therefore must not only cease using any portion or imitation of official symbols of the Vatican State, but hand over the domain name as well.
This would be like the Federal Government of the United States telling USA Today that it must hand over its name and web domain to the US government because the use of “USA” is exclusive to the government. Perhaps, then, the state of New York should demand that the New York Times hand over its name and domain for the same reason. Same thing with America Magazine.
In response to the letter, InfoVaticana enlisted the aid of a legal team who provided a compromise to Baker & McKenzie, proposing that InfoVaticana cease to use the crossed keys in its logo, as well as any other image that may correspond to official emblems of the Holy See. The proposal was not a concession of any wrong-doing, but an act of good faith and good will in a desire to avoid causing confusion or the impression that InfoVaticana was in any way involved with the Vatican State.
Baker & McKenzie’s response was an emphatic refusal to negotiate, reiterating the demand that the domain name must be transferred to the Vatican Secretary of State.
But that’s not even the worst of it.
The law firm Cardinal Parolin hired to handle the case, Baker & McKenzie, is well known for the promotion of homosexuality, and even represented the abortion giant, Planned Parenthood.
In August of last year, Baker & McKenzie’s office in Belfast, Ireland partnered with the homosexual group “Cara-Friend” to fund its “LGBTQ+ Awareness Teacher Training program.” James Richards, the Executive Director of Baker & McKenzie’s Belfast office said:
“We believe that no-one should be put at a disadvantage, professionally, financially or socially, on the basis of who they are. Here in Belfast, we set up our LGBT network just over a year ago and we are thrilled to be sponsoring Cara-Friend’s Awareness Teacher programme, to help influence our future leaders to respect and support all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Northern Ireland.”
In September of last year, Baker & McKenzie’s London office implemented “Gender Transition Guidelines.” Following the implementation of the Firm’s “North America Gender Transition and Identity Guidelines,” the London Office guidelines are intended to:
“support transitioning employees and ensure that the Firm, and all relevant managers and employees, support individuals through their transition. This includes, for example, a Workplace Transition Plan which provides a framework for the transitioning individual, their line manager and HR to follow.”
In December of 2017, Baker & McKenzie advised the homosexual group called “Stonewall” as it fought against what it called an “ultra-orthodox Charedi Jewish Community.” Baker & McKenzie’s statement says that the case was about
“the right of a transgender woman to have direct contact with her children who belong to the ultra-orthodox Charedi Jewish Community. The case raised the questions of human rights and discrimination, in evaluating a child’s welfare.”
In 2016, Baker & McKenzie was named “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign.
In July of 2017, Baker & McKenzie was named “One of Stonewall’s Top Global Employers 2017.”
On top of this, in 1991, Baker & McKenzie represented Planned Parenthood in the case “Planned Parenthood V. Wilson.” Timothy Wilson was a pro-life activist in this case.
It remains to be seen what further action the Vatican will take against InfoVaticana. InfoVaticana (rightfully) refuses to hand over the domain name of their website, and the Vatican Secretary of State (Cardinal Parolin) is threatening to engage in a protracted legal battle, which will inevitably ruin InfoVaticana financially. Baker & McKenzie’s specious arguments about the use of crossed keys and the word “Vatican” in the name “InfoVaticana” likely don’t have the strength to win in court, but battles such as these tend to more about attrition than victory. And all the while, a great enemy of the Catholic Church will swell with Catholic funding, because some dissident clericalists in the Curia are annoyed by the criticisms of a single voice.
Catholicism Pure & Simple 
The Vatican is boxing itself in with PC friendliness. It will marginalize itself and encourage sin under deep confusion – sodomy and adultery. The Church is responsible for the salvation of all souls by following the commandments and Jesus’s words, not by encourging fleshly pleasures that only bring temporary happiness. This is a disappointment to faithful Catholics.
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If true – it’s horrifying ….
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InfoVaticana is entirely in the wrong here, and no just because the Vatican is asserting it’s intellectual rights regarding the branding used by InfoVaticana does not mean that it has to assert it’s rights over other domains. It is the right of the copyright holder to determine what they consider to be infringement on their intellectual property, given what InfoVaticana writes about and how they try to come off as a legit source of news (they are not, they are scandalous and should all be ashamed of the “work” they are doing), the Vatican is fully within it’s legal right to assert it’s copyright.
Reading your blog bring so much pain and sadness to my heart because of your flagrant attacks on the Church and her people. I never thought that I would see the day when Catholics would be going at the throats of fellow Catholics.
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Can you recommend a different blog that upholds catholic truths?
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Mary if your question is at E.J. James, which I think it is, I don’t think he’ll be able to answer that !
I sure wish this blog would allow us to “like” or “dislike” peoples comments !!!
CPS…………can you PLEASE put in a ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ button, or thumbs up and thumbs down button, especially for those of us who don’t have time, to write comments.
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Louise: yes, I was asking him at what other blog can you get a clear picture of what’s happening in the catholic world. At least he could validate himself. Also a thumbs up or down would be helpful to you, especially if people don’t really want to comment or just don’t have time. Thank you.
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E.J. James is an ex-Roman Catholic who so admits (if you click on his name/avatar) but he does admit Tumblr, a well known porno website (no, I’ve never visited it!) as a place close to his heart. His other sockpuppet blog name is PenlessEJ, which can be linked through said Tumblr porno website, if you so choose, where he identifies himself – or herself – as a 31 year old Canadian who likes Earl Grey tea, but dislikes the word “moist”, amongst other things.
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I meant to say something in favour of the Vatican legal position vis a vis “InfoVaticana”, but shall forego for fear of being associated with the ex-Catholic porn commenter.
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JH :Thanks for checking that out. .Explains a lot of things. I don’t wish to pursue the venue he enters in.
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CP&S used to allow “up” votes (and “down” votes too at one time) but not since Brother Burrito retired to the Åland Islands,
a well known Masonic hideout exposed by me on this website several years ago when said Burrito admitted going there for a vacation. Personally, I have grown to dislike the upvote function.
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JH: you can now give your opinion on the legal position of Vatican vs. InfoVatican.
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JH @ 23:52 yesterday
Thank you for this!
Honestly, what would we (at CP&S) do without you? I really mean it.
After a little behind-the-scenes rant at my dear long-suffering Team mates* about allowing through this Protestant’s attack on InfoVaticana, and on us, without the corresponding rebuttal of his errors, I was relieved to see on my return here that our loyal Canadian buddy had picked up the baton and done it himself 😉.
*unanswered at time of writing, perhaps due to late hour for those of us on GMT
Anglicans are not Catholics; they should not use the name “Catholic” to describe themselves or their church that went into schism from the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church at the time of Henry VIII’s split with Rome. This is the unpleasant truth many Anglicans, who are determined to remain in their ‘patriotic’ church, refuse to face up to. (Yet numerous Anglicans have converted over the years and come home to the Catholic Church, greatly enriching their homes and communities.)
Your assessment of this commentator is correct, JH. And Louise also saw through his self-righteous facade.
That is the problem with the pro-homosexual infestation we have nowadays both in the Church and in the whole Western world. They are powerful too : anything that gets in the way, even slightly, of their PC sodomitical Shangri-La is swiftly pounced upon and then cut off! The good Catholics at InfoVaticana are discovering this for themselves! It’s a real scandal. Where are the Catholic voices of the hierarchy speaking up in their defence? The current pope lets it all just pass over his head, but HERE is how this great pope would have dealt with such evil people!
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The “up” or “down” system for comments was in use for a time here, as JH has pointed out, but it was much abused by trolls (such as old Mr Kehoe) and we decided to remove it.
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Kathleen: thanks for your clarification and yes, glad JH snuffed out the scoundrel!!!
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Pete on Life-site news of July 2017 gives a pretty explicit account of what is happening. It really sickens the stomach. Pete’s comment that is most frightening is the influence over the souls of many and the silence from the top about this diseased epidemic that is still going on.
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St. Anthony the Abbot (4th Century):
“Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they had lived in our day, faith would be simple and easy. But in their day, they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day’s problems. When the Church and the world are one, then those days are at hand.”
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