Not sure if this has been posted in CS but this appeared in the Straits Times today. Thought it would be an interesting read and that it might be useful as a guide to "taking pictures in public and using them)...
Singer fails in bid to stop use of bridal pics
Court rejects plea for injunction against bridal salon till hearing of suit
By K C Vijayan, Law Correspondent
CANTOPOP singer Rosanne Wong has failed in a legal bid to stop a Singapore bridal shop from using pictures of her wearing its dresses.
The 32-year-old, who is one half of Hong Kong group 2R, was lent the gowns for her pre-wedding shoot in London. In return, she gave the bridal salon's owner a DVD of the pictures.
But when the shop started using them to publicise itself at wedding exhibitions, she accused it of breaching her privacy and copyright. She applied for an injunction to stop the salon from using the shots until a full hearing can take place.
The High Court has now turned down her application, saying the case had more to do with money than privacy. It added that she appeared to have given her consent for the pictures to be used.
The Malaysia-born singer, who has appeared in several Hong Kong movies and TV shows, was given seven wedding gowns and two suits by The Feline Bridal in River Valley Road.
After returning from London, she gave the DVD of the shots to salon owner Rachel Wang. In January 2010, she went back to the shop after her Hong Kong wedding to a dentist to find it had produced a coffee-table book for its customers containing her photographs.
A month later, the salon used the pictures at its booth at a wedding show in VivoCity. Last year, Ms Wang displayed her photographs again at a bridal exhibition in Changi Expo.
The singer then sued for breach of privacy and copyright at a district court. She argued that her image was valuable, saying she received $85,000 a year in publicity endorsements. Ms Wong sought $10,000 for each of the 30 shots used in the album in her suit.
She applied for the interim injunction to bar Ms Wang from using her photographs. When this failed in the district court, she appealed to the High Court, where she was again unsuccessful.
Justice Choo Han Teck pointed out that she had agreed to hand the DVD of the photo shoot to Ms Wang. It also took her more than a year to sue.
'The photographs were taken for (Ms Wong) in public and similar shots could have been taken by bystanders and posted on social media,' Justice Choo said in his judgment grounds yesterday.
'In the present circumstances, the photographs in question might be personal, but were not as private as counsel argued. (Her) grievance in this case was more a pecuniary matter than a matter of loss of privacy.' The judge added that there was no need to temporarily order the shop to stop using the pictures until a full hearing can be held.
This was because if the singer won her case, the damages she would receive would be adequate compensation.
Yesterday, Ms Wang, who was defended by Mr Soman Premchand, said that the ruling 'is such a relief'. 'We felt hurt when the suit was started.'
Ms Wong's lawyer, Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng, said: 'Our client is disappointed the application has failed but she intends to vigorously pursue the main suit.'
The Straits Times
Singer fails in bid to stop use of bridal pics
Court rejects plea for injunction against bridal salon till hearing of suit
By K C Vijayan, Law Correspondent
CANTOPOP singer Rosanne Wong has failed in a legal bid to stop a Singapore bridal shop from using pictures of her wearing its dresses.
The 32-year-old, who is one half of Hong Kong group 2R, was lent the gowns for her pre-wedding shoot in London. In return, she gave the bridal salon's owner a DVD of the pictures.
But when the shop started using them to publicise itself at wedding exhibitions, she accused it of breaching her privacy and copyright. She applied for an injunction to stop the salon from using the shots until a full hearing can take place.
The High Court has now turned down her application, saying the case had more to do with money than privacy. It added that she appeared to have given her consent for the pictures to be used.
The Malaysia-born singer, who has appeared in several Hong Kong movies and TV shows, was given seven wedding gowns and two suits by The Feline Bridal in River Valley Road.
After returning from London, she gave the DVD of the shots to salon owner Rachel Wang. In January 2010, she went back to the shop after her Hong Kong wedding to a dentist to find it had produced a coffee-table book for its customers containing her photographs.
A month later, the salon used the pictures at its booth at a wedding show in VivoCity. Last year, Ms Wang displayed her photographs again at a bridal exhibition in Changi Expo.
The singer then sued for breach of privacy and copyright at a district court. She argued that her image was valuable, saying she received $85,000 a year in publicity endorsements. Ms Wong sought $10,000 for each of the 30 shots used in the album in her suit.
She applied for the interim injunction to bar Ms Wang from using her photographs. When this failed in the district court, she appealed to the High Court, where she was again unsuccessful.
Justice Choo Han Teck pointed out that she had agreed to hand the DVD of the photo shoot to Ms Wang. It also took her more than a year to sue.
'The photographs were taken for (Ms Wong) in public and similar shots could have been taken by bystanders and posted on social media,' Justice Choo said in his judgment grounds yesterday.
'In the present circumstances, the photographs in question might be personal, but were not as private as counsel argued. (Her) grievance in this case was more a pecuniary matter than a matter of loss of privacy.' The judge added that there was no need to temporarily order the shop to stop using the pictures until a full hearing can be held.
This was because if the singer won her case, the damages she would receive would be adequate compensation.
Yesterday, Ms Wang, who was defended by Mr Soman Premchand, said that the ruling 'is such a relief'. 'We felt hurt when the suit was started.'
Ms Wong's lawyer, Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng, said: 'Our client is disappointed the application has failed but she intends to vigorously pursue the main suit.'
The Straits Times