This book stands out from others on media law by emphasising the increasingly important regulatory and European aspects, and focussing less on more traditional common law topics. The authors take a comparative approach, using material from the USA and Commonwealth jurisdictions, as well as looking at relevant aspects of Human Rights law. The commentary is comprehensive and critical, introducing you to the wide range of technical and policy questions which are posed in the field of media law.

This crucial volume focusing on free speech, media, and law confronts complicated issues that are of interest not only to media law scholars, but to anyone concerned with the First Amendment. It questions whether freedom of speech is identical to freedom of the press and explores why the law restrains free speech for broadcast media but not for traditional print media. In dealing with the often opposing ideals of the rights of the media versus the rights of the individual, this volume tackles difficult legal and social questions of the day.

The Library of Essays in Media Law collects the most significant articles and papers in key aspects of media law in four volumes. The first volume covers the freedom of the press, systems of voluntary regulation, and the laws of libel and privacy. The second volume covers contempt of court and related restrictions on reporting legal proceedings, access of cameras into proceedings, and the journalists' privilege to protect their sources. The third volume focuses on regulating audiovisual content and the fourth volume on regulating the audiovisual industry, including the Internet and new media. Taken together these four volumes offer an invaluable resource to students and scholars interested in all aspects of media law.

The essays discuss the restrictions imposed by contempt of court and other laws on media freedom to attend and report legal proceedings. Part I contains leading articles on the open justice principle. They examine the extent to which departures from that principle should be allowed to protect the rights of parties, in particular the accused in criminal proceedings, to a fair trial, and their interest in being rehabilitated in society after proceedings have been concluded. The essays in Part II examine the topical issue of whether open justice entails a right to film and broadcast legal proceedings. The articles in Part III are concerned with the application of contempt of court to prejudicial media publicity; they discuss whether it is possible to prevent prejudice without sacrificing media freedom. Another aspect of media freedom and contempt of court is canvassed in Part IV: whether journalists should enjoy a privilege not to reveal their sources of information.

Privacy is a complex and controversial right. The essays in this book address fundamental issues about its value and how best it may be defined. Some of them examine its importance and scope in the context of the information society in which both government and business acquire ever more knowledge about the conduct and attitudes of individuals. Others address the use of privacy to protect the rights of women and to protect individuals against the media.

Up to date and informative, the Yearbook of Copyright and Media Law is now well established as a key source of information and analysis for all copyright, media and entertainment law professionals. It is is designed to respond to practical developments and problem areas such as the Internet and Multimedia while also making a serious contribution to copyright and media law as a legal discipline. The central feature of the Yearbook is the range of annual surveys prepared by expert practising lawyers. Covering all issues from copyright, trademarks, licensing societies and new technology to libel, contempt of court and music contracts, the surveys contain considered and thorough analysis of the most recent developments in the UK, the EC, and beyond. The special survey in this yearbook focuses on definitions of film and there are in-depth articles on topical subjects such as the Microsoft judgment and the impact of The Human Rights Act and the Data Protection Act.

This is a fully revised and updated new edition of the classic work first published in 1985. There have been many important developments since the first edition, including enactment of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada in 1982, the impact of the European Human Rights Convention, and the consideration by English courts of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Social and cultural changes mean that free speech claims are being made in novel contexts: to challenge the validity of bans on tobacco advertising, to publish 'kiss and tell' stories about celebrities, and to resist attempts to regulate the Internet. Barendt considers the meaning and scope of freedom of speech. How far do free speech and expression clauses protect pornography, commercial advertising, and public meetings on the streets? Does this freedom cover desecration of a national flag? Does it include nude dancing? Eric Barendt discusses the legal protection of free speech in countries including England, the United States (including recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court), Canada, Germany, and under the European Human Rights Convention. He examines the varied approaches of different legal systems and constitutional traditions to balancing free speech and freedom of the press against rights to reputation and privacy, and to copyright and explores the case law in light of the philosophical and political arguments for free speech guarantees.

The impact of libel law on the freedom of the press is a subject which interests not only practicing media lawyers, law students, and journalists, but also members of the general public who are keen to learn about any perceived threat to the freedom of the press. This book presents all those people with an accessible and jargon-free look at the impact of libel law on the media. It is based on research conducted by Professor Barendt and his collaborators which involved interviewing the editors of national newspapers, journalists, and their lawyers to discover the extent to which libel laws chill press freedom.
The authors, a distinguished group of highly respected academics, examine the present state of libel law (including the Neill reforms and the law in Scotland), and go on to explore the impact of libel law on national and regional newspapers, broadcasters, and book and periodical publishers. The result is a lively study which will appeal to journalists, lawyers, and informed members of the general public alike.

This is a fully revised and updated new edition of the classic work first published in 1985. There have been many important developments since the first edition, including enactment of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada in 1982, the impact of the European Human Rights Convention, and the consideration by English courts of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Social and cultural changes mean that free speech claims are being made in novel contexts: to challenge the validity of bans on tobacco advertising, to publish 'kiss and tell' stories about celebrities, and to resist attempts to regulate the Internet. Barendt considers the meaning and scope of freedom of speech. How far do free speech and expression clauses protect pornography, commercial advertising, and public meetings on the streets? Does this freedom cover desecration of a national flag? Does it include nude dancing? Eric Barendt discusses the legal protection of free speech in countries including England, the United States (including recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court), Canada, Germany, and under the European Human Rights Convention. He examines the varied approaches of different legal systems and constitutional traditions to balancing free speech and freedom of the press against rights to reputation and privacy, and to copyright and explores the case law in light of the philosophical and political arguments for free speech guarantees.

Up to date and informative, the Yearbook of Copyright and Media Law is now well established as a key source of information and analysis for all copyright, media and entertainment law professionals. It responds to practical developments and problem areas such as the Internet and Multimedia while also making a serious contribution to copyright and media law as a legal discipline. The central feature of the Yearbook is the range of annual surveys prepared by expert practising lawyers. Covering all issues from copyright, trademarks, licensing societies and new technology to libel, contempt of court and music contracts, the surveys contain considered and thorough analysis of the most recent developments in the UK, the EC, and beyond.

An Introduction to Constitutional Law discusses the general principles of the United Kingdom constitution from a critical, comparative perspective. It emphasizes the principal characteristics of this uncodified constitution, contrasting it with the documentary constitutions of the United States, France, and Germany. There are fewer checks on the power of government in this country than there are under those constitutions, where courts may review the constitutionality of legislation. This book also discusses the `federal' constitution of the European Union, as well as examining its impact on UK constitutional law. Its publication is particularly timely, in view of the programme of constitutional reform on which the Labour government has embarked. That makes it imperative to examine critically the principles of the constitution and explore whether anything may be learnt from the experience of other countries. The book offers a succinct and up to date account of British constitutional law and will be the ideal introduction for all students studying the subject whether as part of a law of politics degree.

Academic Freedom and the Law: A Comparative Study provides a critical analysis of the law relating to academic freedom in three major jurisdictions: the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. The book outlines the various claims which may be made to academic freedom by individual university teachers and by universities and other higher education institutions, and it examines the justifications which have been put forward for these claims. Three separate chapters deal with the legal principles of academic freedom in the UK, Germany, and the USA. A further chapter is devoted to the restrictions on freedom of research which may be imposed by the regulation of clinical trials, by intellectual property laws, and by the terms of contracts made between researchers and the companies sponsoring medical and other research. The book also examines the impact of recent terrorism laws on the teaching and research freedom of academics, and it discusses their freedom to speak about general political and social topics unrelated to their work. This is the first comparative study of a subject of fundamental importance to all academics and others working in universities. It emphasises the importance of academic freedom, while pointing out that, on occasion, exaggerated claims have been made to its exercise.

Anonymous Speech: Literature, Law and Politics discusses the different contexts in which people write anonymously or with the use of a pseudonym: novels and literary reviews, newspapers and political periodicals, graffiti, and now on the Internet. The book criticises the arguments made for a strong constitutional right to anonymous speech, though it agrees that there is a good case for anonymity in some circumstances, notably for whistle-blowing. One chapter examines the general treatment of anonymous speech and writing in English law, while another is devoted to the protection of journalists' sources, where the law upholds a freedom to communicate anonymously through the media. A separate chapter looks at anonymous Internet communication, particularly on social media, and analyses the difficulties faced by the victims of threats and defamatory allegations on the Net when the speaker has used a pseudonym. In its final chapter the book compares the universally accepted argument for the secret ballot with the more controversial case for anonymous speech. This is the first comprehensive study of anonymous speech to examine critically the arguments for and against anonymity. These arguments were vigorously canvassed in the nineteenth century - largely in the context of literary reviewing - and are now of enormous importance for communication on the Internet.