Briefings, Guides and Handbooks are listed below in chronological order. For further information about these documents please contact PPA Legal Director David Hyams. If you are a PPA member and would like to register with the site, please click here.
June 2010
There have been three digital agenda papers published by European institutions in recent months: The Council in April 2010, the Parliament in May 2010 and finally the Commission in May 2010. They are similar but the Commission is where European legislation tends to originate and their paper – A Digital Agenda for Europe - is the most concrete and the only one with a timetable. This briefing covers the areas which directly concern PPA members.
May 2010
Prize competitions and free draws are run by many PPA members and serve to: promote reader interest; potentially increase sales or drive internet traffic; promote the magazine brand and its commercial partners; generate data about readers and users; and produce revenue. This guide aims to provide a general outline of some of the important issues and legislation that you need to take into account when running prize promotions and free draws or accepting gambling advertisements.
Apr 2010
With a general election called for May 6, the PPA legal team has produced a briefing note to outline the implications on magazine editorial.
Apr 2009
These guidelines have been produced by Blake Lapthorn solicitors specifically for PPA members. They cover some of the key issues that are most likely to affect employers on a daily basis, for example: maternity and paternity leave; the minimum wage; dealing with absences; disciplinary and grievance procedures; equal opportunities; flexible working and dismissals. They were originally published in September 2009 and revised in April 2010.
Mar 2010
A new law related to audiovisual media which is supposed to catch 'TV-like' services - and requires those caught by the law to notify and pay a fee likely to be in the region of £2,500 - recently came into force. To help PPA members that provide video-on-demand services assess whether the new audiovisual law applies to them, PPA has prepared a member-only briefing. The briefing also highlights the implications for those caught by the new law.
Mar 2010
Prepared by PPA’s Legal and Public Affairs Department, the March Legal Update covers the current legal and regulatory issues relevant to the magazine industry. Highlights this month include: a briefing on a new audiovisual law that applies to certain video-on-demand services (and requires those caught to pay a fee in the region of £2,500); the proposed extension to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) digital remit; the newly published CAP Code; the Digital Economy Bill latest; and new PPA member legal handbooks.
Feb 2010
The Defamation and Privacy Handbook, produced by Lewis Silkin, covers the essentials of defamation as well as practical advice on avoiding a claim and how to deal with one if it arises.
Feb 2010
The Data Protection Handbook, compiled by Speechly Bircham, is designed to provide PPA members with comprehensive information to avoid potentially costly breaches of the Data Protection Act.
Dec 2009
The Competition Law Handbook, compiled by Olswang’s Competition and Regulatory Group, provides an overview to competition law for PPA members. It covers consequences of infringement, anti-competitive agreements between competitors, and abuse of a dominant position.
Nov 2009
Produced by Olswang exclusively for PPA members, the new Intellectual Property Guidelines explain the different components of intellectual property law for the purposes of UK publishers. It provides publishers with an understanding of how intellectual property rights arise, how they can be protected and what to look out for when adopting new intellectual property (whether it is sourcing an article, refreshing the look of a magazine or launching a whole new title).
Nov 2009
November’s newly re-launched PPA Legal Update is now available for PPA Members to download. Prepared by PPA’s Legal and Public Affairs Department, the Legal Update covers the current legal and regulatory issues relevant to the magazine industry. Highlights this month include: the implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive into UK law; Government plans to reform defamation law; renewed attempts to introduce prison sentences for breaches of data protection law; and recent (worrying) copyright papers from both Brussels and Westminster.
Nov 2009
The Olswang/PPA Editorial Contracts Handbook outlines how the law of contract, copyright, moral rights and confidentiality can apply in situations likely to be faced by editors when commissioning or buying in written, photographic or graphic material, booking models, dealing with celebrities and their agents or publishing interviews or unsolicited material. The Handbook also provides numerous, extremely helpful, precedent contracts in the Annex.
Aug 2009
This guide, prepared by PPA’s legal department, is a general outline of some of the important issues and legislation that need to be take into account when distance selling, including consumer protection, data protection and e-commerce legislation.”
Jul 2009
PPA has reviewed the proposed changes to the CAP Code (non broadcast) which have come as a result of the current review. This is a brief summary of the significant differences between the old Code and the proposed new Code as at July 2009.
2006
This handbook looks at the issues which can arise in disputes between rival publications and the risks that might be taken when a publication title seeks to encroach unduly into another title’s area.