If you look at the Human Line Project website or press coverage, it reads like an informal grassroots community group or non-profit organization, but what is it really?
In a series of email exchanges with the Human Line Project “founder” Etienne Brisson on March 11 and 12, I asked Etienne Brisson how The Human Line Project plans to recoup expenses and make money.
Brisson called the Human Line Project a “Quebec non profit organization” who was “planning to be able to cover our expenses like any other non profits, grants, research projects and funding coming from philanthropic organizations.”
Ringo: “Can you share the nonprofit registration details—like the legal entity name, registration number, or state/province of incorporation?”
Brisson: “We are in the process of being reviewed for a non-profit in Canada as well as a 501c3 in the US. These registration takes 6 months+ to get approved, it would be a pleasure to send it to you once I have it.”
So you’ve been touting your organization in the press for months and you haven’t even filed any incorporation paperwork yet? That sounds really fishy.
Ringo: “I understand that process takes a while. Do you have any confirmation receipts from the IRS or CRA showing when you filed your application?”
Brisson replied with a screenshot, saying
“There you go, you can google BIG Charity Law. They are the one doing the process. Before you go into a witch hunt for who is Benjamin, he is my long term friend and COO of The Human Line. I hope this will be enough for you now.”
Is it Legal?
This isn’t a “gotcha” question, this is just basic due diligence. Has the Human Line Project filed as an official legal entity? Brisson said they hadn’t done it until November. Was Brisson lying? Or is he being kept out of the loop by someone more senior?
When I looked it up, I was surprised to see the vast amounts of paperwork filed for a small quebec non-profit organization. And it all has Brisson’s name on it. He isn’t just the “face” of the movement, he is a direct financial beneficiary of any success. So why did he hide it?
There are at least two legal entities: The Human Line Project, Inc (#742695968RC0001) is a for profit corporation with paperwork filed in August. Three months later, they filed non-profit paperwork that appears to be in the charity review process he mentioned, yet they also filed a regular non-profit (#719851362RC0001), that only takes a couple of days to process. Both non-profits were filed after the lawsuits against OpenAI in early November.
The articles of incorporation for The Human Line Project, Inc show the corporate structure appears to be setup as litigation financing. So who actually owns it?
The two shareholders of The Human Line Project are companies:
- Etienne Brisson Gestion inc. (wholly owned by Etienne Brisson)
- Groupe Gestion DB inc. (co-owned by Benjamin Dorey and Etienne Brisson)
Etienne Brisson didn’t stumble into The Human Line Project by chance or grassroots organic momentum. He built the legal infrastructure first. The corporate registry for **Etienne Brisson Gestion inc.** — the holding company that owns half of The Human Line Project Inc was created on May 22, 2025, 3 months before filing paperwork to incorporate the Human Line Project, Inc. (August 7, 2025) and 6 months before filing paperwork to incorporate the non-profit (November 24, 2025)
The holding company’s only purpose is to protect personal assets while owning shares in other companies — specifically, its 50% stake in The Human Line Project Inc. With the shell company’s protection, Brisson can wage legal war on OpenAI while keeping his personal assets protected. If The Human Line Project Inc. loses a lawsuit and is ordered to pay millions, creditors can seize the assets of The Human Line Project Inc. but not the assets of its shareholders— including Etienne Brisson Gestion inc. and Groupe Gestion DB inc.
Missing Beneficiary
In all three of these company registries (The Human Line Project, Inc and both its shareholders) the “Déclaration relative aux Bénéficiaires ultimes” status is the same: “Une partie… ont été retracés.” That sentence flags that only some directors have been disclosed, not all.
In Quebec (and under Canadian federal law), corporations are required to identify all ultimate beneficiaries—the real human beings who ultimately own or control the company. If the company had fully complied, the status would read:
“Tous les bénéficiaires ultimes ont été retracés et identifiés.” (“All ultimate beneficiaries have been traced and identified.”)
If there were no beneficiaries (impossible for a private company), it might say something else. But this document says “Une partie” —“Some.” That is an admission of incompleteness.
The “une partie” flag across all three companies strongly suggests a pattern of incomplete disclosure. Either:
- There is a deliberate strategy to keep someone’s name off the public record, or
- There is confusion or non-compliance across the entire corporate structure
The most plausible explanation, given the sophistication of the legal structuring (holding companies, unanimous shareholder agreements, federal incorporation), is that this is deliberate.
To recap, only two names are listed on the paperwork:
- The Human Line Project says: “Some beneficiaries identified” → lists Brisson & Dorey.
- Brisson’s holding company says: “Some beneficiaries identified” → lists Brisson.
- Dorey’s holding company says: “Some beneficiaries identified” → lists Dorey & Brisson.
So where is the full list of the owners of The Human Line Project, Inc? The mystery remains.
