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Jossip Legal Update: Hearst Whines, Scientology Throws Lightening Bolts

Legal threats aren't foreign to us around Jossip HQ. Colin Farrell! Jennifer Aniston! Conde Nast! And just this week: Hearst! and the Church of Scientology!

As you read in Rush & Molloy this morning, Hearst's Harper's Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey is a mighty bit upset that exclusive photos of their August covergirl – a naked and pregnant Britney Spears – leaked across these here Internets. (The issue hits newsstands July 25.) Having shared small thumbnails of the images with our readers, we spent yesterday afternoon on the phone with Hearst attorney Debra Weaver, who demanded the images be taken down. Fair enough; they're entitled to argue their side of things.

But the most amusing part was Weaver's demand to know where the photos came from. "Did you get them from someone inside the magazine?" she wanted to know. Weaver explained Harper's was very concerned they had a leak inside the magazine. (Uh, you fucking think?) Since we're never in the business of revealing our sources, we didn't have much to say to Weaver and sent her on her merry way — thought we'd still like to take Weaver to lunch .. if Hearst is paying.

Meanwhile, we also heard from the Church of Scientology yesterday, who were none too pleased about our posting their orientation video that lacks any sort of interesting plotline or production budget (or, for that matter, any Tom Cruise cameos). We're standing by our claim of the video's newsworthiness (legal counsel can be so clever with their nouns), though our webhost has caved to their DCMA Infringement notice. So you won't be able to find that video on Jossip; but you can find it here.

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