Swifties in PowNed video could take broadcaster to court
A controversial video in which PowNed asks Taylor Swift fans how far they would go for a meet-and-greet with the singer violates portrait rights according to Jeroen ten Voorde in Dutch newspaper ‘NRC’.
Last weekend, Taylor Swift performed at the Johan Cruiff Arena in Amsterdam. PowNed reporter Abel Bijlsma interviewed her fans, known as Swifties, outside the stadium and asked how far they would go for a meet-and-greet with the superstar. After filming fans' attention-seeking antics, the reporter told them it was all just a joke and there would be no meet-and-greet with Swift.
'Sluts' for Taylor Swift
The video entitled ‘Screaming girls become sluts for Taylor Swift’ showed disturbing images – one of a woman showing her breasts – and has been publicly condemned for being sexist. In response to all the commotion, Dutch public broadcaster PowNed has now taken the video offline.
Court action or public debate?
Professor Jeroen ten Voorde says in NRC newspaper that the women in question could have had their images removed by taking court action citing portrait rights: ‘These rights allow people to stop the distribution of their image if it violates their privacy, for example. Portrait rights [in the Netherlands] are part of copyright and fall under private law rather than criminal law. These women could take PowNed or Bijlsma to court and claiming damages.’
However, Professor ten Voorde believes that this incident is better suited to public debate than court action: ‘Isn’t it better to speak with one voice and say that we no longer support PowNed and call for the broadcaster to be removed? That would be a much harsher punishment than if the court were to impose a sentence – if it even gets to that point.’
More information
Read the full article (in Dutch) on the NRC website (€).
Photo by Stephen Mease through Unsplash.