In this issue of zoom-in brief, Netflix faces a defamation lawsuit over The Manhattan Alien Abduction; ABC News agrees to settle a defamation claim brought by Donald Trump; while an Irish Republican bomber says she will sue over Disney’s Say Nothing.

And that’s it from us at zoom-in for 2024. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of the team at ABBAS Media Law!

In this post-Covid era, with tech advances meaning that office-workers don’t have to be office-bound, it seems more and more people are looking for ‘work’ to work for them. But it’s not just office workers: even the world of eating out seems to be shifting slightly, with a growing number of restaurateurs deciding they don’t have to play by the old rules, creating offerings that are quirkier, more personal and often more interesting.

WORK HARD, BE NICE

Documentary-maker Andrew Eastel reveals his pet peeves, how to get ahead in the industry and the key to making great television. Interview by Paul Hunwick. Andrew Eastel is a TV and documentary film director and producer specialising in unscripted content. His credits include Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon, The World’s Biggest Murder Trial: Nuremberg,and Call the Bailiffs. Eastel is the creative director of Middlechild Productions in Brighton and Northern Child in Newcastle. He describes himself as ‘the world’s dullest man’, but with his appreciation of Roman philosophy, pertinent insights into the future of television and a story about rendering David Gest unconscious while meeting Whitney Houston, zoom-in begs to differ…

In this issue of zoom-in brief, Stephen Belafonte’s defamation claim against Mel B looks set to continue; the ABC apologises after fake gunshot sounds were added to a news report; a US tech exec brings a $25m claim over an article which reported that he had previously been arrested; while rapper Megan Thee Stallion sues a YouTube blogger for allegedly posted a deepfake image of her.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, Rebel Wilson’s bitter dispute with the producers of The Deb deepens; Laurence Fox gets permission to appeal in his defamation case; Rudy Giuliani is ordered to hand over his Manhattan apartment to the US election workers who sued him for defamation; while the Police Force of Northern Ireland fails in its attempt to force the media to hand over footage of disorder.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, an episode of Good Morning Britain presented by former MP Ed Balls reportedly receives over 15,000 Ofcom complaints; Dale Vince’s libel claim against the Daily Mail is struck out; AI startup Suno argues that its use of copyright songs was “fair use”; while in the US State of Tennessee, access to a school shooter’s writings is blocked on copyright grounds.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, trans actress, Karla Sofía Gascón, files a complaint in France over a politician's alleged online 'sexist insult'; Netflix settles When They See Us defamation case; and a law in Northern Ireland which granted anonymity to suspected sex offenders is overturned.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, Drake’s use of AI to simulate Tupac Shakur’s voice prompts a complaint from Shakur’s estate, News Group Newspapers issues a claim against ITV and ITN over its use of a clip of Kate Middleton in a farm shop, Australian barrister brings successful defamation claim against broadcaster, Channel Nine, over its reporting of a custody battle involving a cavoodle, Laurence Fox is ordered to pay damages in long-running defamation proceedings; whilst Ofcom has published updated guidance notes to Section 5 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, in relation to politicians acting as presenters on television programmes.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, Amanda Knox faces a new trial in Italy for slander; a US court throws out a defamation claim against Netflix’s film No Limit; investigative journalist, Catherine Herridge, is held in contempt by a US judge for failure to disclose her sources; zoom-in provides an update on the UK’s anti-SLAPP bill; whilst ‘meaning’ is determined in a claim against the BBC’s Panorama.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, a copyright claim and a separate defamation claim brought against Netflix over Tiger King and Inventing Anna are permitted to continue. In the UK, Andrew Bridgen MP has been ordered to pay Matt Hancock’s costs of a strike out hearing in their High Court defamation battle, whilst the Metropolitan Police has apologised to three journalists detained with protesters at a Black Lives Matter protest nearly 10 years ago.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, a defamation claim brought against nonagenarian filmmaker Roman Polanski in France by actress Charlotte Lewis has begun, whilst two women have received a fine for accusing Brigitte Macron of being born male. In the UK, The Guardian and the Daily Mirror have apologised and agreed to make payments to journalist Dan Wootton in response to a privacy complaint; a preliminary hearing has taken place in the defamation action brought over the Steve Coogan film, The Lost King; whilst presenter Jeremy Vine is bringing a defamation claim against former-footballer, Joey Barton, over statements made on X. In the US meanwhile, Samantha Markle’s defamation claim against her sister the Duchess of Sussex is dismissed and more…

In this issue of zoom-in brief, Sony sues over alleged unpaid licence fees for songs used in the Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody; the Daily Mail seeks to strike out a defamation claim brought by the green energy industrialist Dale Vince; whilst a German court rules that TikTok is liable for unlicensed content on the platform, because it failed to make the ‘necessary best efforts’ to secure a licence from the copyright owner.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, in France, the Interior Minister faces a defamation claim from Al-Ittihad player, Karim Benzema, over statements made about him on X. In the USA, LA Ink star Kat Von D has seen off a copyright infringement action over a tattoo of legendary jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis; whilst the producer of Love is Blind faces action from a former contestant seeking to nullify her contributor agreement. In the UK meanwhile, Laurence Fox loses his libel action after calling two people ‘paedophiles’ on X; and two teenagers convicted of the murder of Brianna Ghey are named after reporting restrictions are lifted.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, a US court finds the incidental inclusion of photographs in a documentary about singer songwriter Billie Eilish was defensible as ‘fair use’; Ofcom partially upholds a privacy complaint against 24 Hours in Police Custody; whilst Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber successfully defends a copyright claim over song Memory from Cats.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, David Walliams settles his Britain’s Got Talent privacy case; British inventor, Sir James Dyson loses his libel claim against the Daily Mirror; the High Court rules on meaning in a defamation case brought by a former trust chairman over an Observer article about the Serial podcast; while a journalist successfully resists the seizure of journalistic material.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, Scarlett Johansson threatens legal action after an AI platform used AI images resembling her in an advert; Ofcom finds that the BBC’s use of an archive interview in its 2023 documentary about the Brink’s-Mat robbery was unfair; a US copyright claim brought by a choreographer against the creators of the Fortnite video game is to be reconsidered after a successful appeal; whilst in the UK, streaming platforms look set to be subject to further regulation when the Media Bill comes in to force.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, actor and screenwriter, Steve Coogan, faces defamation proceedings over the 2022 film, The Lost King; Northern Ireland implements new rules around the reporting of sexual offence allegations; and recent contempt warnings raise questions about reporting at different stages of the criminal justice process.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, a lawsuit brought by two Ana de Armas fans over the trailer of Beatles-inspired film Yesterday has been dismissed by a judge in the US; a man who was interviewed by BBC News in a case of mistaken identity is set to sue the BBC for royalties after the incident became a viral sensation; the UK Government has indicated that it will establish an anti-SLAPP taskforce; whilst in the US, Open AI faces another lawsuit brought by a group of authors and playwrights over the alleged use of their material to teach the AI platform.

In this issue of zoom-in brief, legendary rock stars, The Rolling Stones attempt to strike out copyright infringement action in the US; two Dyson group companies head to the Court of Appeal in their defamation claim arising from allegations of exploitation raised in a news broadcast; actor Noel Clarke brings a £10million defamation claim against The Guardian newspaper; whilst generative AI is under further scrutiny in the US with Saturday Night Live writer Sarah Silverman bringing copyright proceedings...

In this issue of zoom-in brief, Vanessa Bryant’s privacy action against LA County ends in multi-million dollar settlement; Brexiteer businessman Arron Banks partially wins libel appeal against Carole Cadwalladr over TED Talk; billionaire Fox News owner, Rupert Murdoch, submits filings that Fox News stars endorsed Trump’s “stolen election” claims; whilst Trump ally, Devin Nunes, is unsuccessful in his Florida libel action against CNN news anchor Jake Tapper. ...