GOARCH Threatens Helleniscope With Copyright Infringement Action!

ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ

By Nick Stamatakis

Early this week we received a letter from GOARCH explaining the same weak and unsustainable arguments regarding the photos published in Goarch.org and the Orthodox Observer: the supposed “internal copyright policy” GOARCH established a year ago for photos, which supposedly is “work for hire”, and fits one of the statutory categories under 17 U.S.C. § 101.

LEGAL WEAKNESSES AND MORAL TONE-DEAFNESS

Legally, the Archdiocese’s cease-and-desist letter rests on shaky ground. It relies heavily on an internal policy that lacks binding force on external entities like Helleniscope, assuming “work-for-hire” ownership without verifying that the photographer was a qualifying employee or that a proper written agreement existed—something courts often reject for freelance or commissioned photos. Even if GOARCH does own the copyright, Helleniscope’s use in a news or commentary setting about a public religious figure likely falls under fair use, which sharply limits any realistic chance of a successful lawsuit or damages claim.

Morally, the claim appears tone-deaf. Parishioners and donors fund the Archdiocese, and all the rest of us participate in services and light candles. So, photographs of public ecclesiastical events and especially photos of a public person like the Archbishop are effectively created with community resources for the benefit of the faithful. Threatening a media outlet for reproducing such an image in coverage of church affairs looks more like an attempt to control public narrative than to protect genuine creative rights. It risks portraying the Archdiocese as using its legal muscle to suppress discussion funded by the very people it serves.

A TOTALLY POINTLESS POLICY DEFYING ITS PURPOSE

Although I have had no personal contact with Mr. Tsougarakis, GOARCH’s lawyer who sent me the letter, he strikes me as a reasonable and sympathetic professional. Given that GOARCH faces several serious legal issues—some worth many millions of dollars—it is utterly wasteful to spend his time sending threatening letters to journalists. Helleniscope is hardly the first to receive such a pointless “cease and desist” warning. We truly have no time to waste fighting imbecility in New York courts.

And yes, we readily complied and the matter is considered closed now. We removed the photo in question :

And we replaced it with another one from our files:

In other words, we swapped a rather flattering photo of the Archbishop for one far less flattering—especially ironic considering that just a week ago, a thousand Astoria parishioners were shouting, “Get the Turks out of our Church!” Can anyone explain how this threatening practice helps the Archbishop’s image?

FIVE YEARS OF GOARCH DRAGGING HELLENISCOPE TO COURTS…

Since 2020, Helleniscope has been dragged into court through supposed “defamation lawsuits” filed by employees of GOARCH who worked at the St. Demetrios of Astoria parish. It was clear from the beginning that none of these cases has merit and could advance seriously in the New York Supreme Court without backing from the Archdiocese’s leadership. Their real goal? To silence Helleniscope and exhaust us financially and physically.

In one such case—now closed victoriously for Helleniscope—mr. Catsimatides, the Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council acted unlawfully (in violation of anti-SLAPP legislation), using his personal attorney to fight against me. A truly shameful act.

Using my legal background (I graduated with distinction from the University of Athens Law School, though I never practiced) and bolstered by community support, I faced each of these encounters head-on—and have been victorious so far.

HERE IS WHAT JUDGE HAGLER STATED FOR YOURS TRULY AND HELLENISCOPE…

IN one of the cases (now closed), Judge Hagler made remarkable statements about yours truly and Helleniscope.

August 11, 2020: “…Mr. Stamatakis is the most widely known and respected figure within the Greek community…”

November 17, 2021  (posted on the Court System on December 8, 2021 –Page 16-17) “…Mr. Stamatakis, let me stop you again. I know you’re an intelligent person, and you are a good writer. I know you are a journalist. I know that you have some training in law. Let me focus your attention on the issues at hand. I’m not trying to restrain your publication of noteworthy or newsworthy events. As a matter of fact, I said that at the time we had the oral argument on the preliminary injunction, so you know already my view on that First Amendment Rights are paramount by viewpoint…”  And further:

Page 26: «…Mr. Stamatakis, let me make it very clear, I didn’t make any rulings as to the elements of the causes of action. What I said was I believe very strongly and I prefaced it at the very beginning of the argument that the First Amendment is paramount in my viewpoint. And I would not allow the — essentially a gag order, a restraint on speech of yourself and others to restrain the content of your opinions…»

CONCLUSIONS

Over the past six years, we have repeatedly documented how the Archbishop’s background and “Turkish/Ottoman” culture have negatively influenced his decisions and actions—from supporting Turkish foreign policy goals (directly or indirectly by dividing the Greek-American community), to bending before Erdogan (apparently to kiss his hand), to his evident difficulty accepting that the primary law of this land—the reason America is America—is Freedom of Speech and the First Amendment. Through his autocratic and “Sultanic” tendencies, Archbishop Elpidophoros has failed, after six and a half years, to adapt to this country.

Helleniscope was right to nickname him “Elpidoktonos” (“Hope-Killer”) the day after his election. For years, we stood almost alone in telling the truth. But in the past year, the majority of Greek-American media—and the overwhelming majority of the faithful—have come to share our view. His continued presence in America has become utterly unsustainable.

It is time for the Archbishop to go. We do not need Sultans in America. As America’s youth turns to traditional values and Orthodoxy, we need inspired servants of the Faith, not autocrats who mistake authority for leadership.

October 17, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com   www.helleniscope.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author. This article represents the opinion of the author and shall not be interpreted as legal advice.

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