Est of Hawaii v. Commissioner

71 T.C. 1067, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 151
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 28, 1979
DocketDocket No. 9866-77X
StatusPublished
Cited by52 cases

This text of 71 T.C. 1067 (Est of Hawaii v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Est of Hawaii v. Commissioner, 71 T.C. 1067, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 151 (tax 1979).

Opinion

OPINION

Tannenwald, Judge:

Respondent determined that petitioner is not entitled to exemption from Federal income tax as an organization described in section 501(c)(3).1 Petitioner challenges respondent’s determination and has invoked the jurisdiction of this Court for a declaratory judgment pursuant to section 7428.2 The issue is whether petitioner is operated exclusively for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3). This case is before us on petitioner’s and respondent’s motions for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 121, Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Petitioner, est OF HAWAII, formerly Presentation of Hawaii, Inc., is a corporation which was organized as a nonprofit corporation under Hawaii Revised Statutes, section 416-20, and has its principal place of business in Honolulu, Hawaii. On May 31, 1974, petitioner filed its Application for Recognition of Exemption under section 501(c)(3) (Form 1023) with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Honolulu, Hawaii. On January 27,1976, respondent issued a final adverse determination to petitioner denying it exempt status under section 501(c)(3) and reissued said determination on June 27,1977, to permit petitioner to petition this Court under section 7428.3

“Est” stands for “Erhard Seminars Training” and encompasses the general theory, the body of knowledge, and the method and techniques which are used in “est” programs and were developed by Werner Erhard. He studied and incorporated aspects of various growth and self-realization disciplines, including Zen, Gestalt therapy, yoga, various psychologies, the martial arts, general semantics, transactional analysis, body movement, self-image psychology, behavior modification, public speaking, sensitivity training and encounter, as well as religious philosophies.

The “est” programs deal with the areas of intrapersonal awareness and communication. The standard “est” training is a 52-hour session held on 2 consecutive weekends with groups of 200 to 250 people. According to petitioner’s literature, it “is designed to transform one’s level of consciousness and one’s ability to experience, resulting in an expanded awareness and the unblocking of one’s natural abilities.” These sessions are conducted by persons who are called “trainers.” Graduates of the standard training participate in regular activities called “seminars.” “Est” also presents public lectures given by Werner Erhard and others active in this field. Erhard himself speaks to about 10,000 people per month throughout the United States. He conducts trainings, seminars, and lectures for members of various groups including the medical profession, psychologists, lawyers, minority groups, business and professional organizations, law enforcement agencies, educators, and college and public school students.

As of April 1974, “est” was training more than 800 people per month in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Aspen, and New York City. Between October 1971 and April 1974, “est” trained over 18,000 people. It is rapidly growing throughout the United States and in other parts of the world.

In 1973, a professional advisory board was established which has representatives from medicine, psychiatry, psychology, the legal profession, and the academic and educational communities.

Activities related to “est” are conducted by several corporations, including petitioner. On August 9, 1973, three for-profit corporations, Erhard Seminars Training (EST, Inc.), Presenta-ciones Musicales, S.A* (PMSA), and EST International (International), entered into an agreement entitled “STANDARD EST ROYALTY AGREEMENT” (royalty agreement) with the sole objective of establishing a system for the presentation of “est” to the public through the organization of tax-exempt corporations covering different geographical areas throughout the United States.4

EST, Inc., is a for-profit California corporation which acquired on December 4, 1971, all rights in the United States to the body of knowledge developed by Werner Erhard.5 On August 9, 1973, it relinquished such rights in the State of Hawaii to PMSA. The royalty agreement provides for EST, Inc., to withdraw from conducting “est” functions in the United States and to concentrate on developing new processes, methods, procedures, publications, and related matters, and on training individuals to present “est” to the public. The royalty agreement further provides for EST, Inc., to supply trainers, materials, and management services to the local tax-exempt corporations and to assume responsibility for the quality of the operations of such organizations. All trainers are employed by EST, Inc., and are required to agree that they will not become involved in any activity resembling “est” in any geographic area where a local corporation is conducting “est” programs for a period of 2 years after the trainer leaves EST, Inc.

PMSA is a Panamanian corporation which engages in the ownership and promotion of literary, artistic, and educational publications, patents and licenses, and the promotion of individuals involved in literary, artistic, and educational activities. It does business throughout the world, except the United States. It owns and controls all rights outside the United States and also in Hawaii (having had such latter rights reliquished to it by EST, Inc.) to the body of knowledge, publications, processes, methods, procedures, etc., developed by Werner Erhard and to all new material that is developed therefrom (generally referred to as “est”).6 PMSA licensed all of its rights to International.

International is a corporation chartered in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to engage in the development, promotion, sale, and licensing of industrial equipment, machinery, processes, and material, and of artistic and educational equipment, products and materials, television and motion pictures, records, cassettes, publications, and literary works. The royalty agreement provides for it to license its rights to the body of knowledge developed by Werner Erhard to tax-exempt organizations established in all the States under essentially identical terms and conditions. Such agreements will normally be renewed annually and renewal depends, in part, on whether the licensee uses its excess funds in the public interest in a manner consistent with the research and educational objectives of “est.”

Under the system established by the royalty agreement, tax-exempt organizations make payments only to International.7 EST, Inc., is fully compensated by PMSA and PMSA is fully compensated by International for all services and obligations undertaken pursuant to the royalty agreement. The parties to the royalty agreement contemplate maximum reinvestment of the proceeds at every level of operation to expand the size and quality of “est” programs.

Pursuant to the royalty agreement, a tax-exempt organization licensed by International is authorized to use the abbreviation “EST” for all reasonable purposes consistent with the public presentation of “est.” New materials may be copyrighted in the. name of the tax-exempt corporation, but copyrights must be assigned without consideration to PMSA or International if the license is terminated.

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Bluebook (online)
71 T.C. 1067, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 151, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/est-of-hawaii-v-commissioner-tax-1979.