Take 10 #13

Welcome to RPC's media and communications law update. This issue reports on key media developments and the latest cases.

News items

Lloyd v Google 

On 28 and 29 April 2021, the Supreme Court (Lady Arden, Lords Reed, Sales, Leggatt and Burrows) heard the appeal brought by Google against the Court of Appeal’s 2 October 2019 decision to allow Richard Lloyd to pursue a representative action against Google following alleged breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998. Read more 

Hijazi v Yaxley-Lennon

The trial of the defamation action against Tommy Robinson brought by a teenage boy concluded last week before Mr Justice Nicklin. Read more 

Riley v Sivier

The Court of Appeal heard an appeal brought by blogger, Michael Sivier against the decision of Mrs Justice Collins Rice to strike out his defences of truth, honest opinion and public interest in the defamation action brought by TV presenter, Rachel Riley. Read more 

Duchess of Sussex v ANL 

The Duchess of Sussex was granted summary judgment in the remaining issues of her copyright claim against ANL on Wednesday. Read more 

Chatter

TikTok transparency 

TikTok is to create a Transparency and Accountability Centre in Ireland to provide an opportunity for experts and policymakers to see how the company builds and secures its platform. Read more 

Trump ban 

Facebook's oversight board has suggested that Donald Trump's account should not be reinstated, but left ultimate responsibility on whether it should be permanently banned to Facebook itself. Read more 

Policy changes for Twitter 

On a similar subject, Twitter's head of UK public policy, Katy Minshall, told the Lords Communication and Digital Committee looking into freedom of speech online that "now is the time to really look at what is the best approach to how we moderate world leaders". Read more

Israel's PM v Israel's ex-PM 

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to sue his predecessor, Ehud Olmert for defamation if he does not apologise for suggesting that the Prime Minister's wife and son suffer from mental illness. Read more 

Rupert Cowper-Coles 

Please join us in congratulating Rupert Cowper-Coles, who has been promoted to RPC's partnership. Read more 

Quote of the fortnight:

"Trusted information is an essential public good, but many journalists around the world - including those from the BBC - are facing intimidation, harassment and hostility. Some even face threats to their lives and liberty. This growing assault on truth represents a profound threat to the health of societies and democracies worldwide. We stand in solidarity with journalists and other media organisations who continue to fight for truth and media freedom.” - Tim Davie, BBC Director-General on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 2021.