Media Liability

Journalism – Defamation claim 

Our Insured, a journalist, exposed a charity’s unethical financial practices. In response, the charity released various articles attacking our Insured’s credibility. Fortunately, the Insured had sought legal advice prior to publishing their article which concluded their exposé could not be deemed as defamatory. The Insured’s Beazley policy stepped in to support the Insured’s defence and the matter was ultimately dropped.

Film – Copyright Claim

Our Insured, a production company, received a copyright infringement claim. The claimant purported to have previously pitched his ideas to the insured who decided not to commission the film but had received his pitch positively. The claimant then saw a trailer for a film produced by the Insured and alleged his ideas had been used. The policy would have provided defence cover for the Insured, but our Insured was able to prove that the film was already in production when the claimant pitched his ideas and the claim therefore had no substance. 

Publishers – Breach of Privacy claim

We handled a breach of privacy claim against a publisher Insured who published and distributed a story regarding a eminent TV personality (the Claimant).  The claim against the Insured related to the claimant’s right to privacy versus the Insured’s right to publish news in the public interest.  

The insured further complicated the matter by  distributing the story to other online news outlets. Issues around warranties regarding losses flowing from the original article being published became paramount.  The policy stepped into to protect the Insured from any claims arising out of its publication.