The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the disparagement clause in the Lanham Act denying registration for trademarks that “may disparage any persons” was facially unconstitutional under the First Amendment. The Court reasoned that the disparagement clause constituted viewpoint discrimination, and rejected the government's argument that trademarks are “commercial speech.”
The High Court in Gaborone, Botswana granted a newspaper owner an injunction prohibiting the implementation of a presidential directive that government entities cease advertising in those newspapers. The Court said withdrawal of advertising amounted to an indication of displeasure with the content of the newspapers and constituted an infringement of freedom of expression.
The U.K. High Court allowed a stay of proceedings under Section 34(2) of the Data Protection Act 1998 on the basis that personal data it held was being processed for journalistic purposes with a view to publication. The Court reasoned that Section 34(2) prevents the stifling of journalistic rights by prior restraint on publication.
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence
and to advance understanding of the norms and institutions that best protect the free flow of information and expression.