The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has set a worldwide precedent after winning her 3 year long, multi-million pound copyright case. The copyright case was filed against the news giant - 'Associated Newspapers Limited' the parent company of 'The Mail on Sunday'.
Back in 2019, Meghan wrote a letter to her father Thomas Markle. In this private and personal letter Meghan expressed her feelings about Prince Harry and their wedding in 2018.
'The Mail on Sunday' published large parts of this letter in their newspaper. Meghan subsequently sued them for both copyright infringement (intellectual property infringement) and invasion of privacy.
Throughout the entire case Meghan has maintained that this copyright case was not made for financial gain, but for standing up for what she believes in. She wanted to protect her privacy and challenge the news industry.
The amount the Duchess has gained for her copyright infringement case has not been disclosed. It has been reported that the entire sum is being donated to charity.
The Duchess said about this case:
'This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right. While this win is precedent-setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel and profits from the lies and pain that they create.'
In addition 'Associated Newspapers' will also have to pay Ms Markle £1 in an admission of guilt for invading her privacy.
Further to the monetary penalty 'Associated Newspapers' were ordered to publish a front page story about their copyright case loss to Ms Markle. They published the story on Boxing Day 2021.
This story is an example of the importance of copyright registration in order to help prove your legal rights.
