Diocese of Covington Demands Facebook Remove "Unofficial Page" with Critical Posts

By Max Londberg
Cincinnati Enquirer
May 8, 2019

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/crime-and-courts/2019/05/08/diocese-covington-v-facebook-suit-seeks-unofficial-pages-removal/1147279001/

People stand outside the Cathedral of the Assumption in late January during a protest of the Catholic Diocese of Covington in Covington, Kentucky. This week, the diocese filed a federal lawsuit claiming an eponymous, unofficial Facebook page violates copyright law. (Photo: Albert Cesare / The Enquirer)

The Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Covington filed a lawsuit Tuesday in which it demands Facebook remove a page bearing the diocese's name, citing federal copyright law.

The page, "Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington," is not affiliated with the diocese. It has 372 likes as of Wednesday evening, and some of its posts are critical of the diocese and its schools.

One person wrote on the page that the diocese is a "breeding grounds for white privilege."

The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

In January, videos taken at the Lincoln Memorial showed students from Covington Catholic High School, a school within the Diocese of Covington, and Native Americans engaged in an encounter that sparked national attention and widespread criticism of both parties.

Included in the lawsuit is a letter sent to Facebook by Amy Cahill, a Louisville-based attorney representing the diocese. The letter urges Facebook to immediately remove all "infringing materials" and to notify those who reproduced or distributed the material that "their conduct was illegal and could be subject to enforcement."

The profile photo of the Facebook page in question depicts a coat of arms that resembles but does not match those displayed on the diocese's legitimate website.

The page itself includes a declaration admitting it is not associated with the Diocese of Covington:

"This unofficial Page was created because people on Facebook have shown interest in this place or business. It's not affiliated with or endorsed by anyone associated with Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington," the page states.

Cahill filed a subpoena with the court that seeks from Facebook the name, address and email address of the user who created the page.

The sole purpose of the subpoena, Cahill writes in an accompanying affidavit, is to protect the diocese's rights under copyright law.

Some of the page's posts include links to news articles and photos that appear to have been taken at a rally outside the diocese's headquarters in response to the viral videos from the Lincoln Memorial.