Ofcom dismisses school privacy complaint
Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has dismissed a privacy complaint brought by a Bristol headteacher over a regional TV news item on poorly performing schools that showed footage of the school and a small number of students…. Read More »
Irish Times editor faces prison sentence
The editor of the Irish Times, Geraldine Kennedy, and one of its senior journalists face jail terms of up to two years and fines of €300,000 for their failure to cooperate with a judicial tribunal… Read More »
Wall St Journal wins Reynolds case
The House of Lords today reversed the decision of Eady J and the Court of Appeal in Jameel v Wall Street Journal Europe, in an important judgment on the scope and application of the journalists’… Read More »
Court papers access challenge
The High Court today made an interim declaration that recent changes in Court rules allowing greater access to Court documents are for now to be treated as applying only to documents filed on or after… Read More »
New faces at 5RB
5RB today welcomes two new members of chambers. After successfully completing their pupillages, Victoria Shore and Victoria Jolliffe become the latest recruits to the media set. After attending English Martyrs School in Hartlepool, Victoria Shore studied… Read More »
Online music providers agree deal on royalties
A joint statement by the BPI and the MCPS-PRS Alliance has today announced a resolution to the dispute over the royalties payable to songwriters and publishers for UK music downloads, on the day the long-running row was… Read More »
5RB tops Legal 500 survey
The annual Legal 500 review of the legal profession has named 5RB as a leading set in Defamation & Privacy and Media & Entertainment Law and noted its expertise in both Intellectual Property and Sports Law. The independent survey… Read More »
Victory in Europe for Wainwrights
The European Court of Human Rights has today held that the human rights of Mary and Alan Wainwright were violated when they were subjected to strip-searches at HMP Leeds in 1997. The Wainwrights were visiting… Read More »
‘Smacking children’ injunction bid fails
The NSPCC last night failed in a last minute bid to prevent ITV from broadcasting a documentary about smacking, ‘I Smack and I’m Proud’. The programme depicted several identified children being repeatedly smacked by… Read More »
PCC rejects UKIP subterfuge complaint
The Press Complaints Commission has rejected a complaint from Roger Knapman MEP that a Sunday Times journalist employed subterfuge, in breach of Clause 10 (Clandestine Devices and subterfuge) of the PCC Code. It also rejected… Read More »
PCC privacy ruling on pregnancy
The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint that the publication of a diary piece in The Independent revealing an actress was pregnant before she had told family and friends and before her 12 week… Read More »
PCC upholds source confidentiality complaint
The Press Complaints Commission has criticised the Newcastle Evening Chronicle for failing to respect the confidentiality of a source. The source of an article made a complaint under the rarely used Clause 14 (Confidential Sources) of… Read More »
Tommy Sheridan awarded £200,000
Former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan has won his libel claim against the News of the World over allegations that he was an adulterer who had visited swingers’ clubs and taken part in orgies…. Read More »
End of the line for Fallon
Top jockey Kieren Fallon remains suspended from racing in Great Britain after Mr Justice Davis rejected his challenge to the ban imposed by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA). After the judgment was delivered, Fallon’s lawyers… Read More »
Paul McKenna wins ‘bogus’ PhD case
Well-known hypnotherapist Paul McKenna has won his libel claim against Mirror Group Newspapers over an article written by Victor Lewis-Smith which alleged that he had fraudulently boasted of having a PhD which he knew to be… Read More »
Jail sentences for misuse of data?
The Department of Constitutional Affairs has issued a Consultation Paper on a possible amendment to to the Data Protection Act 1998 to allow for custodial sentences for the ‘wilful or reckless abuse’ of personal data. The… Read More »
Political advertising ban challenged
Animal rights group Animal Defenders International (ADI) will today argue in the High Court that the ban on “political advertising” that prevents many campaign groups from promoting their views on radio and television is a violation of the… Read More »
Fallon racing ban upheld
The Appeal Board of the Horseracing Regulatory Authority today decided that Kieren Fallon should remain banned from racing in the UK pending his trial on criminal charges of conspiracy to defraud gamblers. The Board,… Read More »
Armstrong settles Times libel case
Seven-times winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong has settled his libel case against the Sunday Times over doping allegations after the cyclist won an important pre-trial ruling at the High Court in London. … Read More »
Father wins family report ban case
The Court of Appeal today overturned an injunction preventing a father from publicly identifying his child as the subject of a custody battle. In a significant decision, the Court ruled that section 97 of… Read More »