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Christina Michalos
Profile
Christina specialises in copyright, trade marks and intellectual property (non-patent); privacy; media & entertainment law (including data protection and freedom of information) and sports law. She is known as a leading practitioner in image rights work and is the author of The Law of Photography and Digital Images (Sweet & Maxwell, 2004). Christina has a particular interest and expertise in issues arising from internet user generated content and social networking sites.
Media, IP & Freedom of Information
Christina's recent work includes: advising the Met Police regarding internet & Facebook issues arising from the Baby P case; AW v Holland (privacy injunction & committal application for breaches on Facebook & Twitter); acting for the Department of Health before the Information Tribunal in response to the Pro Life Alliance's FOIA request for abortion statistices; junior counsel for the Claimant in the jury defamation trial Clift v Slough Borough Council and for Associated Newspapers Ltd in the copyright and privacy claim brought by HRH the Prince of Wales and heard before Blackburne J. She has also recently acted in a number of 'name change' injunction cases including both misleading company names and website/domain name passing off cases. Christina is frequently instructed by photographic agencies, photographers and media entities in relation to copyright, data protection, privacy and other related claims involving photographs. She has advised and acted for various government departments in copyright, trade mark, licencing and other intellectual property matters, including the Cabinet Office, the Inland Revenue, the Central Office of Information and the UK Hydrographic Office.
Since July 2009, Christina has been a member of the Treasury Counsel A Panel of senior lawyers approved by the Attorney General to act on behalf of the Government. She was previously on the C Panel (1999 - 2003) and the B Panel (2003 -2008). In 2004, she was instructed as an amicus curiae to the Court of Appeal in a contempt case, Thompson v Mitchell.
Commerical, Common Law & Personal Injury
In addition to her intellectual property and media work, Christina has wide experience of commercial and general common law litigation. Christina has considerable trial experience having appeared without a leader in numerous trials, in particular appearing on behalf of government departments. Prior to joining 5RB, she practiced at 17 Bedford Row (then chambers of Allan Levy QC) and gained wider experience of commercial cases acting for the Nationwide Building Society and lenders in mortgage litigation, insurance claims and also general common law litigation. She continues to practice in the more general fields of civil litigation and does a substantial amount of defendant personal injury work particularly on behalf of the Home Office/Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence.
She has regularly appeared as a legal commentator on media and sports law issues on Sky News, BBC News 24 and radio. Christina has been a contributor to The Times law section since 1999.
Lectures and Seminars
Christina is regularly invited to speak on copyright and media law: Press Gazette Media Law Conference (2009, 2008); chaired the Management Forum Media Law Conference (2003, 2005); IBC Protecting the Media Conference and the IBC International Copyright Law Conference (2006).
In October 2003, she was invited to give a series of lectures in Khartoum to the Sudanese Judiciary and lawyers in the Sudan on intellectual property law as part of a Bar Human Rights Committee & British Council joint project.
Career
Called
1994 Called to the Bar
Education
LLB; MA;
Postgraduate diploma (Masters Level) in International & Comparative Copyright Law, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London
Sports Law PG Cert (King's College, London)
Areas of work
- Defamation
- Privacy and Confidence
- Sports Law
- Intellectual Property
- Data Protection
- Public Access
- Contempt
- Copyright
- General Common Law
- Human Rights
- Injunctive Relief
- Media Law
- Passing off
- Professional Discipline
- Trade Marks
- Testing
Verbatim
“Christina Michalos' particular focus is on privacy and image rights. User-friendly and bright,” she is admired for her “speed of reply and sensible advice.” [Chambers & Partners 2009]
"Christina Michalos receives praise for being “completely committed - she really goes the extra mile.” She has a three-pronged practice comprising media and entertainment, IP and sports law expertise. She recently acted as junior counsel representing Associated Newspapers in its privacy and copyright case against Prince Charles." [Chambers & Partners 2008]
Testimonials
- Recommended in Chambers & Partners since 2006 as a leading junior in Media & Entertainment law.
- Recommended as a leading junior in both Intellectual Property and in Media & Entertainment by Legal 500 (2007).
"a thorough and very user friendly junior" [Legal 500, 2007]
- Described as 'an up-and-coming intellectual property specialist' by The Times, 18 March 2003
Memberships
British Association for Sport and the Law
Intellectual Property Bar Association
BLACA (British Literary & Artistic Copyright Association)
Intellectual Property Institute
TIPLO
Registered with the Bar Pro Bono Unit
Treasury Counsel (C Panel) - appointed March 1999. Appointment renewed 2001
Treasury Counsel (B Panel) - appointed February 2003
Treasury Counsel (A Panel) - appointed July 2009
Publications
(19 May 2004)
(26 Jan 2006)
(26 Nov 2007)