PA pays freelance agency following copyright dispute

The Press Association has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to freelance news agency Solent News and Photo after it was accused of "lifting" Solent's interview with the father of murdered Bristol architect Joanna Yeates.

Solent claimed earlier this year that parts of its interview with David Yeates were allegedly republished without permission by PA clients.

The agency was backed in its complaint by the National Association of Press Agencies (NAPA) which wrote to Jonathan Grun, editor of the Press Association, asking for an apology and "assurances that this was an aberration that will not be repeated".

According to the National Association of Press Agencies (NAPA), Solent distributed the story on the 28 December to a number of selected publications, including the Southern Daily Echo.

NAPA claimed a version of the story featuring the same quotes was also sent out by the Press Association. Solent said a request to recall of the story was refused by the Press Association.

It was also alleged that a further breach of copyright occurred with another article relating to the same story.

"This was never about money. It was about journalistic practice and, to some extent, the future of journalism, particularly on the internet," David Holt of Solent said in a release from NAPA.

"With the backing of NAPA the case was referred to specialist media lawyers and we are pleased to have reached a settlement. We shall be donating the money to the Journalists' Charity."

At the time of the complaint Grun told Journalism.co.uk that the Press Association has "at all times acted in good faith in our reporting of this story".

No one at the Press Association was available for comment at the time of writing.

Update:

In a statement Press Association editor Jonathan Grun said: "We do not recognise the interpretation of the matter as outlined in Solent's colourful press release.

"The quotes from Jo Yeates's family were in the public domain on a newspaper website and were clearly attributed in our story. When Solent's copyright in the quotes was asserted we reached a mutually satisfactory settlement. We believe that we acted in good faith on a sensitive story involving the parents of a murder victim."

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