POTTER’S J.K. ROWLING WINS COURT CASE

Famed Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has won a court battle to ban the publication of pictures of her son David when he was just 18 months old.The writer alleged the boy’s privacy rights had been infringed by the long-lens shots taken in Edinburgh, Scotland by Big Pictures photo agency in 2004, but lost a legal battle in London’s High Court last year. Rowling took the case to the Court of Appeal, because she wanted her children to grow up “free from unwarranted intrusions into their privacy”. A judge ruled yesterday that there was an infringement of her privacy. Judge Sir Anthony Clarke told the court, “If a child of parents who are not in the public eye could reasonably expect not to have photographs of him published in the media, so too should the child of a famous parent.”In our opinion, it is at least arguable that a child of ‘ordinary’ parents could reasonably expect that the press would not target him and publish photographs of him.” Rowling and her husband, Dr Neil Murray, released a statement, saying, “We understand and accept that with the success of Harry Potter there will be a measure of legitimate media and public interest in Jo’s professional activities and appearances.”However, we have striven to give our children a normal family life outside the media spotlight.”We are immensely grateful to the Court for giving our children protection from covert, unauthorized photography; this ruling will make an immediate and material difference to their lives.”

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