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Media Law and Advertising Copy

The Society's legal advice team have extensive experience in advising on all aspects of media and marketing law, as well as on commercial law issues affecting newspaper publishers.

Particular areas of expertise include:

  • Advertisement copy advice:A specialist pre-publication copy advice service covering both legal regulations and the various professional and self-regulatory codes of practice, which govern advertising and sales promotions. The advice service is extensively used and publishers have been acknowledged as the cornerstone of the self-regulatory system upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority. Experienced advertising and regulatory affairs advisers and lawyers provide a fast and efficient telephone advice service, giving practical guidance on the application of the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing and other self-regulatory codes, and the application of the law to vetting of advertisement copy. Advice can also be given on reader protection schemes and good practice.
     
  • Marketing Law:Advice and assistance with all types of newspaper sales promotions, including lotteries and competitions, use of the National Lottery, charity agreements and reader offers. Advice on data protection issues.
     
  • Contracts:Assistance with drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, including newspaper and electronic publishing contracts, agreements with advertisers, suppliers and newsagents.
     
  • Intellectual Property:Advice on all areas of copyright affecting newspaper companies, including drafting copyright clauses for contractual agreements on work produced for newspapers, copyright infringement, and software issues. Help on protecting and exploiting the goodwill attached to newspaper titles and with the law relating to trademarks and passing off.
     
  • Competition Law:Preliminary advice on competition law and OFT policy and practice, agreements with suppliers, wholesalers and newsagents, and relations with advertisers, including discount schemes and refusal of advertising space; media-ownership controls, newspaper mergers, acquisitions and cross-media ownership.
     
  • Disputes and litigation:Practical assistance to newspapers to help assess and deal with complaints as soon as a problem arises.
     
  • Publishing formalities:Advice on legal requirements for publishers, such as imprints, registration, preservation of copies and other formalities.

The individual advice service is available on subscription only. As part of the core NS services, the department provides general advice to members on relevant legislative and self-regulatory rules and updating them on new developments and current problem areas, through its publication of Ad Control News and Advertisement Points to Watch. In addition to this, the department provides members with tailor-made half or whole day training courses on advertising and marketing law and regulation. An annual Marketing Law seminar is organised by the department.

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Contacts

Advertisement Copy & Promotions Advice
Atiqur Chowdhury, 020 7632 7464, e-mail: atiqur_chowdhury@newspapersoc.org.uk
Ierena Pace, 020 7632 7468, e-mail: ierena_pace@newspapersoc.org.uk

Media Law
Catherine Courtney, 020 7632 7465, e-mail: catherine_courtney@newspapersoc.org.uk
Sue Oake, 020 7632 7463, e-mail: sue_oake@newspapersoc.org.uk
Santha Rasaiah, 020 7632 7461, e-mail: santha_rasaiah@newspapersoc.org.uk

PERA Adminstrator
Stacy Haertel, 020 7632 7462, e-mail: stacy_haetel@newspapersoc.org.uk