Media Law and Copyright: Defamation, Rights Clearance and Pre-Publication Review – London, 21–25 Dec 2026

Programme overview

Introduction:

Newsrooms, brand studios and creator teams now publish faster than legal review can keep pace, so a single post can bring a defamation claim, a privacy complaint, a takedown of a campaign video or an unpaid music licence invoice. This Core Concept course builds working media law and copyright skill for the people who produce and approve content: assessing reputational and privacy risk, clearing music, footage, photos and fonts, handling user-generated material, trademarks and sponsored posts, and responding to notices and complaints. Participants complete a Pre-Publication Legal Review Pack for a realistic content package.

Course Objectives:

• Assess an article, video or post for defamation, privacy, image rights and reporting restriction exposure before it is published
• Determine whether a copyright exception such as quotation or news reporting covers a planned use of third-party material
• Clear rights in music, footage, photographs, fonts and user-generated content and record the permission evidence
• Review advertising and influencer content for trademark use, comparative claims and sponsorship disclosure
• Prepare and answer platform notices, counter-notices and audience complaints with a documented correction route
• Apply a pre-publication legal review checklist and escalate high-risk items to counsel with a clear risk rating

Target Audience:

• Reporting and editorial functions that write, edit and approve news and feature content
• Content creation and video production functions that assemble music, footage and images into published material
• Social media and community management functions that run brand accounts and handle audience submissions
• Marketing and brand communication functions that commission advertising, influencer and sponsored campaigns
• In-house legal and compliance functions that advise publishing teams on clearance and complaints

Course Outline:

Day 1: Media Law Landscape and Reputational Risk

• Media Law Risk Map: Defamation, Privacy, Copyright, Trademarks and Advertising Rules
• Defamation Elements Test: Publication, Identification, Meaning and Harm to Reputation
• Common Defences Grid: Truth, Honest Opinion, Public Interest and Privilege
• Risk Wording Clinic: Allegation, Inference and Headline Meaning in Sample Stories
• Contempt and Reporting Restrictions Overview: Active Proceedings, Anonymity Orders and Minors

Day 2: Copyright Principles and International Treaties

• Berne Convention Principles: Automatic Protection, National Treatment and Minimum Rights
• WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty in Digital Distribution
• Idea Versus Expression Test and Originality Threshold for Articles, Images and Video
• Economic and Moral Rights Map: Reproduction, Adaptation, Attribution and Integrity
• Permitted Use Screening: Quotation, News Reporting and Incidental Inclusion Criteria

Day 3: Clearing Rights in Music, Footage, Images and Creator Content

• Music Licensing Routes: Composition Rights, Sound Recordings and Collective Management Organisations
• Stock Footage and Archive Clip Licence Terms: Territory, Duration and Media Scope
• Photograph and Font Licence Checks: Editorial Versus Commercial Use and Embedding Terms
• User-Generated Content Permission Request and Consent Log Template
• Privacy and Image Rights Release Forms for Contributors, Bystanders and Locations

Day 4: Advertising, Influencers and Platform Disputes

• Trademark Use in Advertising: Referential Use, Brand Confusion and Logo Permissions
• Comparative Advertising Claim Substantiation File and Competitor Reference Rules
• Influencer and Sponsored Content Disclosure Labels, Contract Clauses and Monitoring Log
• Platform Terms of Service Review and Notice-and-Takedown Procedure with Counter-Notice
• Complaints, Right of Reply and Corrections Log with Apology and Retraction Wording

Day 5: Pre-Publication Legal Review Case Work

• Pre-Publication Legal Review Checklist Build: Risk Questions, Evidence and Sign-Off Levels
• Investigative News Package Case: Allegation Mapping and Right-of-Reply Record
• Brand Campaign Case: Music, Influencer Posts and Comparative Claim Clearance
• Takedown Notice Role Exercise: Drafting a Notice and a Counter-Notice Reply
• Pre-Publication Legal Review Pack Presentation and Peer Challenge Panel

Skills You Will Gain:

• Defamation Risk Assessment
• Copyright Exception Analysis
• Rights Clearance and Licensing
• Image and Privacy Release Management
• Advertising Claim Substantiation
• Sponsorship Disclosure Review
• Takedown Notice Handling
• Corrections and Complaints Management

Why Attend This Course:

• Leave with a Pre-Publication Legal Review Pack and checklist ready to apply to the next story, video or campaign
• Cut the time spent waiting on counsel by resolving routine clearance questions within the content team
• Reduce takedowns, licence invoices and complaints by fixing rights gaps before content goes live
• Compare clearance practice with peers from news, broadcasting, brand, agency and creator settings

Conclusion:

Most media law problems start as small editorial choices: an ambiguous headline, an uncleared song, a missing sponsorship label. The week moves from reputational risk and reporting restrictions, through the Berne Convention and WIPO treaties that frame copyright across borders, to clearing music, footage, photos, fonts and audience material, then to trademarks, comparative claims, influencer disclosure, platform notices and corrections. The final day applies this to news and campaign cases and produces a Pre-Publication Legal Review Pack. The course covers general principles and is not legal advice.