Wikileaks, Public Domain and the Internet

The disclosures of US diplomatic cables over the past week (covered in the Guardian and around the world) has reminded us that one way to ensure effective release of highly confidential  secrets is for it to be released from a number of servers in different jurisdictions.  The result is that it is almost immune from the type of sustained Court action such as the Spycatcher litigation in the late 1980s.

Matrix Media Update – 3 December 2010

This is a Media Law Update covering the last week prepared by the Legal Information Team at Matrix Chambers, which they have kindly agreed to make available to readers of Inforrm.

Latest Cases

Spiller & Anor v Joseph & Ors [2010] UKSC 53,  1 Dec 2010.  On appeal from [2009] EWCA Civ 1075.   The Supreme Court considered the defence of fair comment in defamation proceedings, in particular the extent to which the factual background giving rise to the comment had to be referred to with the comment itself and be accurately stated.