Rowling revives privacy case
2008-03-10 17:21
London - British author JK
Rowling revived her bid on Monday to ban the further publication
of a long-lens photograph of her son after the initial privacy
claim was thrown out by a London court last year.
Lawyers for the creator of the bestselling Harry Potter
books, suing under her real name Joanne Murray, have gone to the
Court of Appeal over the image of Rowling, her husband and their
son David which was published in a Sunday Express magazine.
Rowling, 42, and her husband, Neil Murray, sued Express
Newspapers and photo agency Big Pictures in David's name,
seeking to block further publication.
The Express settled the claim, and last August High Court
judge Nicholas Patten threw out the case against the agency.
He said David, who was less than two when the photograph was
taken, was "not himself upset" by it and that as a result the
claim being brought in his name was "somewhat artificial".
Patten said he sympathised with anyone wishing to shield
their children from intrusive media attention, but added the law
did not allow them "to carve out a press-free zone for their
children in respect of absolutely everything they choose to do".
Reviving the claim in the Court of Appeal, Rowling's lawyer
Richard Spearman said: "The claim is not about the right of the
adult. It is about the rights of the child."
The hearing continues.