The In-House Lawyer

Flood v Times Newspapers [2012]: is the Reynolds qualified privilege defence finally coming of age? On 21 March 2012 in Flood v Times Newspapers Ltd [2012] the Supreme Court unanimously upheld an appeal by Times Newspapers Ltd (TNL) and held that the newspaper had acted ‘responsibly’ in publishing an article ... Read more	Olympic sponsorship: reputation and risks Although the commercial benefits of sponsoring high-profile sporting events are well known, there are also a surprising number of potential pitfalls. On the eve of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Ben Hobbs of Schillings assesses ... Read more
How that tweet could end up costing your company more than you’ve budgeted for There is nothing new about the fact that how an employee behaves can have a serious impact on a company’s reputation; what has changed is that a company’s reputation can now be damaged via a ... Read more	Gigantic noticeboard or wall of graffiti? Online libel: are we lost in analogy? Following the recent High Court decision in Tamiz v Google Inc [2012], which closely followed the decision by HHJ Parkes QC in Davison v Habeeb [2011] just two months earlier involving the same defendant, you ... Read more
The right to protest: whether in a tent or through digital warfare, when does it cross the line? Occupy London recently lost their application to quash an eviction order granted by the High Court relating to the ‘semi-permanent’ protest camp consisting of up to 100 tents at the foot of St Paul’s Cathedral. ... Read more	Harassment Imagine your company’s employees are the target of a campaign of activist intimidation, or members of your board are being subjected to aggressive door-stepping by the press. What could you do to protect them? What ... Read more
The private lives of public figures Nestled in the background for the latter six months of a busy year for media law was Rio Ferdinand’s action against the Sunday Mirror over an article that was published in April 2010. While full ... Read more	The law of conspiracy: dirty tricks, corporate rivals and brand attacks While we’re all accustomed to accusations of ‘smear campaigns’ and underhand tactics being bandied about in the political arena, we are seeing more examples of both companies and private individuals becoming the victims of such ... Read more
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