Reputation management & content clearance

We work with content producers and media publishers to ensure that both the content production process and the final product are legally sound, advising on issues including defamation, malicious falsehood, misuse of private information and data protection, as well as compliance with applicable codes of practice, such as the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines, the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s Editors’ Code of Practice, and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

Individuals, as well as corporate entities, can all too readily find that false or private information about them is published and rapidly spreads across the internet, posing a threat to their reputations, livelihoods and profit margins.

When complaints do arise, we work with individuals and corporate entities to identify false or private information about them online or published by media organisations, content producers and hosts, and to secure its removal. We have a track record in securing the removal of content from global sites and platforms including Twitter, Facebook (including Instagram) and Medium. Relying on causes of action including defamation, malicious falsehood, data protection, misuse of private information, breach of confidence, harassment, and copyright infringement, as well as on industry codes of practice such as the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines, the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s Editors’ Code of Practice, and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, we can engage with either or both of the originating publisher or intermediaries such as social media platforms and ISPs to restrict and remove material, and to prevent it from being republished in future.

We advise content hosts and other internet intermediaries on their obligations and liabilities in respect of third party and user-generated content, and the processes they must follow in order to rely on the safe-harbour provisions afforded to them.  

We also support content producers and media publishers to defend their content against complaints and investigations.