Position: |
Partner |
Department: |
Intellectual Property/Rights |
Email: |
|
Telephone No: |
+44 20 7468 2600 |
Downloadable vCard: |
Robin Shaw
Robin trained at Wright Webb Syrett and qualified in 1983. Robin was a partner at Wright Webb Syrett before it merged with Davenport Lyons in 1995.
Robin‘s practice focuses on media related litigation in all its various forms including defamation, libel, privacy, intellectual property and contractual disputes. He has extensive experience of litigating in both the High Court Queen’s Bench and Chancery Divisions. He spends a significant amount of his time undertaking defamation pre-publication work and dealing with general commercial litigation.
In appropriate cases he has taken specific steps to prepare publishers to defend potential urgent applications for injunctions to prevent publication of books and newspaper stories and has extensive experience of both bringing and defending such applications.
His clients include national newspapers, book and magazine publishers, film, television and record producers, artists’ agents, writers, directors and actors. Many of the cases in which he has been involved have been reported.
Recent experience includes:
- He successfully acted for publishers HarperCollins in the Stig case brought by the BBC to prevent the publication by HarperCollins of the autobiography of racing driver Ben Collins, The Stig in the BBC programme Top Gear.
- Conducting the defence of numerous libel and other claims on behalf of Mirror Group Newspapers, Private Eye, Penguin Books and other leading publishers. He has extensive experience advising about and dealing with claims involving privacy issues and contempt of court, going back to the leading case of Attorney-General v MGN Ltd & ors (the Geoffrey Knights case).
- Advising Private Eye about every issue before it goes to publication and handling all claims that the magazine receives.
- Advising Penguin about proposed books. Other book publishers for whom Robin has acted are Harper Collins, Bloomsbury, Mainstream Publishing and Short Books Ltd.
- Acting for Private Eye in successfully resisting an attempt by a former President of the Law Society to prevent the magazine publishing details of the outcome of disciplinary action against him. The case went to the Court of Appeal and is an important decision in the increasing attempts by individuals to use the law privacy and confidence to keep embarrassing information from the public.
- Acting for the housing charity Shelter in successfully resisting an attempt to sue them for libel by a medical practitioner who Shelter criticised for appearing predisposed to not recommending housing applicants for local authority assistance on medical grounds.
- Advising the World Health Organisation and Amnesty International over libel issues arising out of their publications.
- Various disputes arising from film and television production and distribution contracts.
Robin is regularly asked by the media to comment on topical legal issues.
