Books

I am the author of one book (Medium Law) and the co-editor of two edited collections (one on privacy law and the other on judicial review / administrative law).

Medium Law (Routledge, 2018)

Publisher page |  WorldCat (libraries) | Amazon (hardback) | Amazon (paperback)

Why should anyone care about the medium of communication today, especially when talking about media law? In today’s digital society, many emphasise convergence and seek new regulatory approaches. In Medium Law, however, the ‘medium theory’ insights of Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan and the Toronto School of Communication are drawn upon as part of an argument that differences between media, and technological definitions, continue to play a crucial role in the regulation of the media.

Indeed, I argues that the idea of converged, cross-platform, medium-neutral media regulation is unattainable in practice and potentially undesirable in substance. This is demonstrated through the exploration of the regulation of a variety of platforms such as films, games, video-on-demand and premium rate telephone services. Regulatory areas discussed include content regulation, copyright, tax relief for producers and developers, new online services, conflicts between regulatory systems, and freedom of expression.

The Campbell Legacy: reflections on the tort of misuse of private information (2018)

Publisher page | Amazon (hb) | Amazon (pb) | WorldCat

This book arose out of a 2015 conference at Newcastle, marking the 10th anniversary (ish) of the notable privacy case Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers (2004). Tom Bennett and I hosted the event and co-edited the resulting collection.

Executive Decision-Making and the Courts: Revisiting the Origins of Modern Judicial Review (Hart, 2021)

Publisher page | Amazon (hb) | Amazon (pb in August 2022) | WorldCat

The origins of this book are in a SLS seminar at the University of Sussex in May 2018, based around the ‘quartet’ of landmark administrative law cases from the 1960s, but encompassing perspectives from around the UK and the Commonwealth. My fellow editors were the organisers of the event: TT Arvind, Lindsay Stirton, and Richard Kirkham.