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It is important as a media producer to attain a basic level of
understanding about Intellectual Property Rights, Confidentiality
and Defamation. Without some knowledge of these areas it would be
virtually impossible to function on a daily basis without finding
yourself in difficulty.
The issue of public interest is also an important one; what is
of interest to the public isn't always necessarily what is in the
public's interest and if you work in the media it is important to
get it right or you could end up in court. Free speech doesn't actually
mean free speech, it means free speech within the law, so you need
to have a basic understanding of what you can and cannot do.
In today's global media environment it is difficult to produce
material without taking into account the laws of copyright, libel
and slander. Law is seen to reflect the current standards in society
and because the broadcasting, publishing and storing of content
and information is now also done in new media formats, we are seeing
new media elements being incorporated into legislation. One example
of this is The Data Protection Act 1988, which now ensures that
website producers and operators take the necessary steps to ensure
that no unauthorised processing of personal data stored on software
systems takes place.
The Internet is a very difficult area to legislate over and this
has prompted a need for Intellectual Property and defamation laws
to be extended to incorporate on-line issues. We have most recently
seen changes to media law in the areas of privacy, new media and
with the introduction of The
Human Rights Act 1998.
Media law is a complex area and if you need specific advice about
a particular area, you should seek professional legal guidance.
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