Laws of Media

Coppright

 

Copyright gives the creators of some types of media rights to control how they're used and distributed. Music, books, video and software can all be covered by copyright law

 

 

 

Samsung ordered to pay Apple $290 million for copying iPhone and iPad features

 

The verdict in San Jose, California, covers 13 older Samsung devices that a previous jury found were among 26 Samsung products which infringed Apple patents.

The previous jury awarded Apple 1.05 billion US dollars (£650.9 million) but US District Judge Lucy Koh ordered the new trial and threw out 450 million US dollars (£279 million) of the damages after concluding that the previous jury had miscalculated the amount Samsung owed.

Samsung appealed against that verdict and is also expected to appeal against the latest verdict.

A third trial is scheduled for March to consider Apple's claims that Samsung's newest devices on the market also copied Apple's technology.

Laws of Media

Privacy Law

Privacy law refers to the laws which deal with the regulation of personal information about individuals which can be collected by governments and other public as well as private organizations and its storage and use.

 

The Phone Hacking Scandle

Hacking into messages on mobile phones is covered by the same law which now regulates phone tapping and other forms of covert information-gathering, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, known as RIPA.
This makes it a criminal offence to intercept phone calls unless it is done by a member of the police or intelligence agencies acting with a secretary of state's warrant, which can be granted only to protect national security, to prevent serious crime or to safeguard the economic wellbeing of the UK. It also makes it an offence to gain access to material which is stored on a communication system, such as a voice message, without a search warrant or a "production order", either of which has to be approved by a judge.

 

Laws of Media

Obscene Publications Act

The definition of this is content that is effends and insults the audience for which it is aimed at.

Lawyers may need to check whether a production breaks this law before it is released. Content such as sexually explicit, violent and/or drug taking is reviewed for suitability. Decisions are made dependent on factors such as age range of the audience, the time a production is broadcast.

 

 

The Human Centipede, a 2010 horror film in which a scientist stitches kidnap victims together, was proudly touted as "the most horrific film ever made".

But its Dutch director, Tom Six, may have gone too far in the follow-up, because the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has denied The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) an 18 certificate for fears it poses a "real risk" to cinemagoers.

Laws of Media

Liable law

You can be sued for saying things about a person which are untrue and damage their reputation. The law was created to protect people from unwarranted, mistaken or untruthful attacks on their reputation.

 

 

 

A case from October 2013 Alan Davies, tweeted a statmend about Lord McAlpine that was untrue. The tweet related to child sex abuse alligations, which related the comedian agreeing to pay £15.000 and damages issuing a warning to the users of the social media service.