Personality Rights in European Tort Law

by Edited by Gert Brüggemeier , Aurelia Colombi Ciacchi , Patrick O'Callaghan

• ISBN13: 9780521194914
• ISBN10: 0521194911
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-24
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This volume provides a comprehensive analysis of civil liability for invasion of personality interests in Europe. It is the final product of the collaboration of twenty-seven scholars and includes case studies of fourteen European jurisdictions, as well as an introductory chapter written from a US perspective. The case studies focus in particular on the legal protection of honour and reputation, privacy, self-determination and image. This volume aims to detect hidden similarities (the 'common core') in the actual legal treatment accorded by different European countries to personal interests which in some of these countries qualify as 'personality rights', and also to detect hidden disparities in the 'law in action' of countries whose 'law in the books' seem to protect one and the same personality interest in the same way.

Author Biography

Gert Bruggemeier is Professor (Emeritus) of Civil Law, European Economic Law and Comparative Law at the University of Bremen.
Aurelia Colombi Ciacchi is Senior Researcher in Private Law at the University of Bremen and Lecturer at the Hanse Law School, Bremen.
Patrick O'Callaghan is Lecturer in Law at Newcastle University.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	p. xi
National reporters	p. xiii
General editors' preface	p. xiv
Preface	p. xvi
Editorial note	p. xviii
List of abbreviations	p. xxi
Mapping the legal landscape	p. 1
General introduction	p. 3
Protection of personality rights in the law of delict/torts in Europe: mapping out paradigms	p. 5
Introduction	p. 5
Two distinct paths of civil law of delict	p. 10
France	p. 10
Germany	p. 18
Two different paths of liability law	p. 25
Common law of torts and statutory law: England	p. 25
Scandinavian law: Sweden	p. 28
A European perspective - Art. 8(1) ECHR	p. 30
American tort law and the right to privacy	p. 38
Introduction	p. 38
The birth of a tort	p. 41
The first steps	p. 45
Evolution of a tort	p. 48
Additional protection for peace of mind	p. 56
The academic backlash	p. 57
The United States Supreme Court intervenes	p. 59
The present status of the unwarranted-disclosure privacy tort	p. 61
The present status of the intrusion privacy tort	p. 66
The present status of the false-light privacy tort	p. 68
The present status of the misappropriation privacy tort	p. 69
Conclusion	p. 70
Case studies	p. 73
Case 1: The corrupt politician	p. 75
Case	p. 75
Discussions	p. 75
Comparative remarks	p. 140
Case 2: Convicted law professor	p. 149
Case	p. 149
Discussions	p. 149
Comparative remarks	p. 175
Case 3: The paedophile case	p. 178
Case	p. 178
Discussions	p. 178
Comparative remarks	p. 203
Case 4: An invented life story?	p. 206
Case	p. 206
Discussions	p. 206
Comparative remarks	p. 225
Case 5: A former statesman's family life	p. 228
Case	p. 228
Discussions	p. 228
Comparative remarks	p. 253
Case 6: A satirical magazine	p. 257
Case	p. 257
Discussions	p. 257
Comparative remarks	p. 272
Case 7: A snapshot of a person	p. 275
Case	p. 275
Discussions	p. 275
Comparative remarks	p. 308
Case 8: A paparazzo's telephoto lens	p. 317
Case	p. 317
Discussions	p. 317
Comparative remarks	p. 343
Case 9: Naked. Little.Girl.Com	p. 348
Case	p. 348
Discussions	p. 348
Comparative remarks	p. 372
Case 10: The late famous tennis player	p. 375
Case	p. 375
Discussions	p. 375
Comparative remarks	p. 408
Case 11: The popular TV presenter	p. 413
Case	p. 413
Discussions	p. 413
Comparative remarks	p. 431
Case 12: Copied emails	p. 433
Case	p. 433
Discussions	p. 433
Comparative remarks	p. 453
Case 13: Brigitte's diaries	p. 457
Case	p. 457
Discussions	p. 457
Comparative remarks	p. 473
Case 14: Tape recordings of a committee meeting	p. 476
Case	p. 476
Discussions	p. 476
Comparative remarks	p. 489
Case 15: 'Light cigarettes reduce the risk of cancer'	p. 492
Case	p. 492
Discussions	p. 492
Comparative remarks	p. 507
Case 16: Doctor's non-disclosure of a foetal disease	p. 511
Case	p. 511
Discussions	p. 511
Comparative remarks	p. 540
Case 17: WAF - A gang of incompetents?	p. 543
Case	p. 543
Discussions	p. 543
Comparative remarks	p. 562
A common core of personality protection	p. 565
A common core of personality protection	p. 567
Dignity and honour	p. 568
Privacy	p. 569
Right to one's image and likeness	p. 570
Commercial appropriation of personality	p. 572
Right to personal identity	p. 573
Self-determination	p. 574
Protection of personality of legal persons?	p. 575
Personality violations through the internet	p. 575
Conclusion	p. 576
Index	p. 578
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.