The House of Lords has refused to grant the publisher of The Mail on Sunday leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision to award the Prince of Wales summary judgment for breach of confidence and copyright infringement in respect of his Hong Kong journal.
The Court of Appeal had upheld the High Court’s decision, looking at the way in which the English courts have been developing the law of privacy to protect the rights recognised by Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, and the relationship between Article 8 and Article 10 of the Convention, which provides for the right to freedom of expression. More details are to be had from the House of Lords, Minutes of proceedings, 12 June 2007.
The case is interesting as it relates to the interface between Freedom of the Press, the Right to Privacy, the Public Interest and the so-called right to Know.
