Romana Canneti

Romana Canneti

Media and Entertainment law Specialist

Romana specialises in all aspects of media and entertainment law (including: defamation, copyright, intellectual property, privacy and data protection). For over two decades, she has regularly advised newspapers and broadcasters (some including ITN, the BBC, Channel 5, Associated Newspapers Limited, The Telegraph Group, Times Newspapers and News Group Newspapers) on pre-publication and pre-broadcast law and compliance. She also regularly advises the Press Association, the UK’s major national news agency.

Since returning to private practice in 2018, Romana was co-instructed by the Media Lawyers Association to intervene in the two leading cases heard by the Supreme Court since the Defamation Act 2013 came into force: both interventions successfully saw off challenges to the scope of the Act.

Romana has defended numerous copyright claims against publishers from photographers and claimants’ solicitors and/or agents. Whether litigating or negotiating, she adopts a practical and costs-driven approach, informed by her extensive experience and an accurate assessment of the market value of the material in question.

Romana regularly provides detailed pre-publication advice to authors, major book publishing groups, and the writers and producers of podcasts, on matters ranging from privacy and GDPR compliance to fair-dealing and the permissible use of copyrighted material.

In addition to the increasing overlap of privacy/defamation and data protection law, Romana is well versed in regulatory issues affecting both the broadcast and print media, and has extensive experience in handling IPSO (formerly PCC) adjudications for Independent Print Limited, The Telegraph Group and Associated Newspapers.

Over the years, she has built up considerable experience advising on – and where necessary – challenging the many other varieties of reporting restriction which affect media coverage of the criminal and family courts, army disciplinary proceedings and employment proceedings.

Romana is also an experienced advocate in the Employment Tribunal, and regularly acts for claimants and respondents. She specialises in discrimination cases, and has won significant awards for her claimant clients. She has also effectively represented respondents at Tribunal hearings. She is regularly instructed on multi-day hearings involving complex discrimination, unfair constructive or actual dismissal and issues involving trade union detriment or other forms of victimisation. She has successfully resisted proposed anonymity orders sought by the respondents in a sexual harassment claim.

Romana successfully handled the leading case Independent News and Media v A [2010] EWCA Civ 343, [2010] 1 WLR 2262 in which the Court of Appeal upheld a landmark decision to allow media access to private court of protection hearings. That application was eventually joined by five other national news organisations, and was the first of several other successful consortium media applications for access to court of protection hearings.

Romana has written articles on legal matters published in the New Law Journal, The Times law pages, The Independent and the British Review of Journalism. She is a regular contributor to the New Law Journal.

Accreditations

Romana was invited to contribute to the first edition of 'The Court of Protection Practitioners’ Handbook,.

Shas spoken at seminars on the media and the court of protection, including at the COPPA conference.