Sir Elton John used his Creators’ Champion Award speech to plead with the UK Government to “do the right thing” by strengthening copyright protections when artificial intelligence (AI) models learn from creatives’ content. Sir Elton is among hundreds of creatives who have raised concerns over AI companies using copyrighted work without permission. The BBC has more information here.

The Met’s retrospective request for a Production Order to empower the police to seize journalistic material was denied after the force raided a journalist’s home following a complaint over posts on X. Asa Winstanley writes for Palestine-focused website Electronic Intifada and also publishes a Substack called Palestine is Still the Issue. The force originally seized the material as part of an investigation into alleged offences under the Terrorism Acts 2000 and 2006. The Press Gazette has more information here.

Internet and Social Media

Youtube channels are using AI to steal words and photographs from paywalled news content and reproduce articles wholesale without the consent of publishers. The practice has been highlighted by freelance journalist Rob McGibbon after a first-person account of his estrangement from his late father written for the Daily Mail was lifted wholesale and reproduced by the Youtube Channel: “The World News.” The Press Gazette has more information here.

IAPP has an article analysing the regulatory trends in youth online protection. Although the goal of protecting the privacy and safety of young people online is widely shared, approaches to achieving it vary significantly across jurisdictions.

Data privacy and data protection

The HawkTalk blog has an article explaining that the Data (Access and Use) Bill, which returned for its Commons Report stage last week, degrades two Data Protection Principles in Article 5 of the UK_GDPR; namely the Principles dealing with lawfulness and incompatibility [A.5(1)(a) and A.5(1)(b)]. The blog goes into this new wording in detail.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and ICO are working closely together to support firms navigating data protection and financial regulation in a way that helps them innovate confidently. More information here.

Surveillance

The US House Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held a hearing on 5 June  to promote further review of the UK-US Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act — otherwise known as the CLOUD Act. The hearing delved into the UK’s invocation of its Investigatory Powers Act to force backdoor access to Apple cloud data for law enforcement purposes, and how that access could impact the safety of US data. The House subcommittee agreed the UK order is potentially problematic for US data and could pave the way for other pervasive standards. IAPP has more information here.

Newspaper Journalism and regulation

Hacked Off and The Press Gazette cover the Telegraph’s use of a fake family for a story about the impact of rising costs of living on high earners, which raises legitimate questions about authenticity, consent, and editorial standards in pieces that purport to reflect the lived experience of UK families.

Events

On Tuesday 1 July 2025, The Press Justice Project will bring together leading legal practitioners, reputational experts and sporting heroes for a half-day conference event to explore the challenges facing sportspeople and their representatives in dealing with media intrusion and inaccuracy. Inforrm had a post with more information here.

IPSO

Statements in open court and apologies

We are not aware of any statements in open court or apologies from the previous week.

New Issued cases

There were no new cases filed on the media and communications list last week.

Last week in the courts

On Wednesday 4 June 2025 there was a return date for the injunction in the case of Lord Chancellor v Persons Unknown KB-2025-001755.

On Wednesday 4 June and Thursday 5 June 2025 there was a  trial in the data protection case of Kul and Ors v DWF Law LLP KB-2023-004108. 

On Thursday 5 June 2025 there was the return date of the injunction in the case of AML v LMA KB-2025-001814 .

On Friday 6 June, judgment was handed down by Sharp J in Ayinde, R (On the Application Of) v Qatar National Bank QPSC & Anor [2025] EWHC 1383 (Admin). The judgment considered the use of generative artificial intelligence tools by lawyers to produce written litigation documents which are not then checked, so that false information (typically a fake citation or quotation) is put before the court. The Court set out some of the guidance that has been promulgated by the regulatory bodies but found that the two referrals to the Divisional Court in this case demonstrate that promulgating such guidance on its own is insufficient to address the misuse of artificial intelligence. Sharp J shared the judgment with the Bar Council and the Law Society, and to the Council of the Inns of Court with an invitation for them to consider as a matter of urgency what further steps are needed to ensure that the guidance is followed and lawyers comply with their duties to the court.

Media law in other jurisdictions

Germany

The German data protection authority (BfDI) has fined Vodafone GmbH, the telecommunications company’s German subsidiary, €45 million ($51.4 million) for privacy and security violations. BfDI imposed a €15 million fine on Vodafone GmbH for failing to monitor partner agencies whose employees made unauthorized contract changes or tricked customers into signing fictitious contracts. BleepingComputer has more information here.

Ireland

The BBC has applied for a stay on orders relating to Gerry Adams’ successful defamation claim against the broadcaster. Former Sinn Fein leader Mr Adams took the BBC to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, which he said defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, for which he denies any involvement. This follows a recent High Court decision that awarded him 100,000 euro (£84,000) after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. More information here.

Japan

Japan is the latest country to greenlight artificial intelligence governance regulation, landing on a statute that supports innovation and development while acknowledging potential risks. The Act on the Promotion of Research and Development and the Utilization of AI-Related Technologies makes clear the legislature wants to see AI thrive in the country, stating up front that “artificial intelligence-related technologies are fundamental technologies for the development of Japan’s economy and society.”

South Korea

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has forged a robust privacy regime that reflects distinct domestic priorities while increasingly shaping the global debate. IAPP has more information here.

United States

Newly unsealed records provide new details about the Trump administration’s failed effort this spring to obtain a search warrant for an Instagram account run by student protesters at Columbia University. The FBI and federal prosecutors sought a sweeping warrant, the records show, that would have identified the people who ran the account along with every user who had interacted with it since January 2024. Between March 15 and April 14, the FBI and the Department of Justice filed multiple search warrant applications and appeared numerous times before two different judges in Manhattan federal court as part of an investigation into Columbia University Apartheid Divest, or CUAD, a student group. The Intercept has more information here.

Sonoma County, CA, has been accused of deploying hundreds of drone flights over residents in a “runaway spying operation” that has violated the constitutional rights and privacy of locals, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union. The North Bay county of Sonoma initially started the 6-year-old drone program to track illegal cannabis cultivation, but the lawsuit alleges that officials have since turned it into a widespread program to catch unrelated code violations at residential properties and levy millions of dollars in fines. The program has captured 5,600 images during more than 700 flights, the lawsuit said. SFEGate has more information here.

UnitedHealthcare is suing British newspaper The Guardian for defamation, alleging that the outlet falsely accused them of enticing nursing homes to enroll in a special program that works to restrict medical expenses for elderly patients. Fox News has more information here.

Research and Resources

Next week in the courts

On Monday 9 June 2025 Swift J will hand down judgment in the case of Vince v Associated Newspapers.

On the same day Johnson J will hear the PTR  in the libel case of Hegab (“Hijab”) v The Spectator (1828) Ltd and another KB-2023-003636.

On Tuesday 10 June 2025 there will be a 1 day strike out and summary judgment hearing the case of QRT v JBE QB-2022-000825.  There will also be a 3 hour hearing in the case of Elphicke v Times Media Limited KA-2024-000231.

On Wednesday 11 June 2025 there will be  hearings in the cases of Candey Ltd v Mann KB-2024-002126 and BGR v Persons Unknown KB-2025-001803.

On Thursday 12 June 2025 there will be a 1 day hearing in the case of Wei and others v Long and others KB-2023-003483.

On Friday 13 June 2025 there will be return date hearings in the cases of HZT -v-XRT KB-2025-001583 and Emerging Media Ventures Limited and another v Kundra KB-2025-001918 and a PTR in the case of Naseer v Raja QB-2022-002648.

Reserved judgements

Kul and Ors v DWF Law LLP – 4 and 5 June 2025 (Eady J).

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon v Associated Newspapers, 6 and 7 May 2025 (Nicklin J).

Clarke v Guardian News and Media, 4 March – 4 April and 11 April 2025 (Steyn J).

Colette Allen is the host of Newscast on Dr Thomas Bennett and Professor Paul Wragg’s The Media Law Podcast (@MediaLawPodcast).