I.#Breach#of#confidence!
!
I.#Origins#and#nature#of#the#action!
!
Overview!
!
•! Historical!origins.!
o! Started!off!as!an!equitable!tort.!
!! Dealt!with!the!issue!of!obligations!and!conscience.!
•! Prince!Albert!v.!Strange!(1849).!
o! A!had!produced!a!series!of!etchings!which!he!showed!to!friends.!
!! S!got!hold!of!them,!knowing!he!should!not!have!had!them.!
!! Thus!the!dissemination!of!them!was!prevented.!
•! Seager!v.!Copydex!(No.!1)![1967].!
o! S!invented!a!carpet!grip.!
!! Took!them!to!show!them!to!C.!
•! C!asked!if!he!had!any!other!ideas.!
o! Showed!them!some!of!his!unpatented!ideas.!
!! The!negotiations!for!the!manufacture!of!the!original!carpet!grip!fell!apart.!
!! S!then!noticed!that!some!carpet!grips!were!on!the!market!that!were!very!
similar!to!his.!
•! Brought!an!action!against!C.!
o! The!discussion!he!had!with!them!was!with!a!particular!
end!in!view!–!that!they!would!manufacture!his!particular!
goods.!
o! Lord!Denning!said!that!the!law!on!the!breach!of!confidence!does!not!depend!on!
any!implied!contract.!
!! It!depends!on!a!broad!principle!of!equity.!
•! That!he!who!has!received!in!confidence!shall!not!take!unfair!
advantage!of!it.!
o! So!the!fact!that!C!knew!that!it!was!a!confidential!
discussion!meant!that!they!weren’t!able!to!take!that!
information!and!use!it!for!their!own!benefit,!cutting!S!out!
of!the!equation.!
•! He!must!not!make!use!of!it!to!the!prejudice!of!he!who!gave!it!
without!obtaining!his!consent.!
o! Good!faith,!conscience,!etc.!
!
Evolution#of#the#tort:#the#human#rights#effect!
!
•! Campbell!v.!Mirror!Group!Newspapers![2004].!
o! The!courts!were!willing!to!extend!the!notion!of!breach!of!confidence!to!protect!
elements!of!privacy.!
!! The!issue!of!privacy!is!still!very!much!within!the!action!for!breach!of!
confidence,!but!there!are!now!two!separate!strands!under!breach!of!
confidence.!
•! The!traditional!action.!
•! Issues!of!privacy.!
!
II.#The#traditional#action!
!
Overview!
!
•! The!traditional!action!is!ambivalent!to!the!type!of!information!that!is!being!protected.!
o! Any!type!of!information!can!conceivably!fall!within!the!traditional!action.!
•! Relationship!with!patents.!
o! The!importance!of!confidence!in!the!context!of!novelty.!
•! Relationship!with!copyright.!
o! The!overlap!with!copyright.!
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, !! Many!of!the!things!protected!under!breach!of!confidence!might!also!be!
things!to!which!copyright!attaches.!
o! Similarities!and!differences!in!the!scope!of!the!rights.!
•! The!elements!of!the!traditional!action.!
o! Coco!v.!Clark![1969].!
!! Coco!came!up!with!a!new!idea!for!a!moped!engine.!
•! Took!it!to!Clark!and!proposed!for!him!to!manufacture!it!for!him.!
!! A!few!months!later,!Coco!noticed!mopeds!on!the!market!with!a!moped!
engine!design!that!was!very!similar!to!his!own.!
•! Brought!an!action!for!breach!of!confidence!against!Clark.!
o! Alleged!that!Clark!had!used!the!information!that!he!had!
imparted!to!him!in!confidential!circumstances!in!order!to!
manufacture!his!own!moped!engine.!
!! Justice!Megarry!laid!down!three!fundamental!elements.!
•! The!information!must!be!of!a!confidential!nature.!
•! The!circumstances!must!be!such!that!an!obligation!of!confidence!
exists.!
•! There!must!be!unauthorised!use!of!the!information.!
!
Confidential#information!
!
•! Overview.!
o! The!importance!of!identifying!the!information!said!to!be!confidential.!
!! The!end!result!is!to!restrain!the!use!of!the!information.!
•! Obviously!cannot!draft!an!injunction!to!restrain!the!use!of!that!
information!without!knowing!what!the!information!is.!
!! Cannot!defend!against!an!action!without!knowing!what!the!information!is.!
o! Seager!v.!Copydex!(No.!1)![1967].!
!! Information!was!clearly!defined.!
•! Excluded!information.!
o! Trivial!information.!
!! Coco!v.!Clark![1969].!
•! “Equity!ought!not!to!be!invoked!to!protect!mere!tittle]tattle.”!
Justice!Megarry.!
o! Things!that!are!trivial,!inconsequential,!etc.!
o! Too!vague!and!too!broad!potentially!to!be!protected.!
!! AG!v.!Guardian!Newspapers![1990].!
•! Courts!are!particularly!reluctant!to!hold!that!governmental!
secrets!are!mere!tittle]tattle.!
o! Courts!do!not!necessarily!know!what!the!repercussions!
will!be!of!letting!said!information!into!the!public!domain.!
•! ‘Spycatcher’!novel!was!being!released!in!various!foreign!
jurisdictions.!
o! Question!of!whether!the!Guardian!could!serialise!it!in!the!
U.K.!
!! Debate!about!whether!it!was!already!in!the!
public!domain,!whether!it!was!protectable,!etc.!
o! The!book!itself!was!the!information.!
o! The!court!was!reluctant!to!label!any!of!it!as!trivial.!
o! Immoral!information.!
!! Mosley!v.!News!Group!Newspapers!Ltd.![2008].!
•! “It!was!often!said!that!there!is!no!confidence!in!an!inequity.!But!it!
is!highly!questionable!whether!in!modern!society!that!is!a!
concept!that!can!be!applied!to!sexual!activity!conducted!between!
consenting!adults!in!private.”!
o! Information!that!is!too!vague.!
!! De!Maudsley!v.!Palumbo![1996].!
•! Dinner!party!where!friends!were!talking!about!ideas!they!had!for!
a!new!nightclub.!
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, o! One!individual!suggests!a!club!that!was!open!all!night!
long!(legally),!big,!hi]tech!industrial!style,!with!separate!
areas!(VIP,!dancing,!relaxing,!etc.),!a!separate!enclosed!
dance!floor,!top!DJs.!
!! Afterwards,!his!friends!opened!the!Ministry!of!
Sound.!
•! The!court!held!that!they!were!mere!aspirations.!
o! Far!too!vague!to!have!protection.!
o! Didn’t!have!the!required!degree!of!particularity!in!a!
finished!product.!
o! Information!in!the!public!domain.!
!! Once!it!has!entered!the!public!domain,!the!aura!of!secrecy/confidentiality!
evaporates.!
!! However,!breach!of!confidence!is!not!based!on!the!idea!of!absolute!
secrecy.!
•! Rather,!relative!secrecy.!
•! Prince!Albert!v.!Strange!(1849).!
o! His!friends!clearly!knew!what!his!etchings!were.!
o! The!question!was!whether!the!information!could!be!
disseminated!to!a!wider!public.!
•! AG!v.!Guardian!Newspapers![1990].!
o! At!the!point!at!which!it!became!impossible!to!restrain!the!
information!anymore,!the!injunction!could!not!be!
sustained.!
!
Obligation#of#confidence!
!
•! Overview.!
o! Fundamental.!
o! Can!be!expressly!created!by!contract.!
o! Can!also!be!something!which!arises!informally!based!on!the!nature!of!the!
relationship.!
o! Coco!v.!Clark![1969].!
!! In!essence,!looking!at!the!circumstances!in!which!the!information!was!
obtained,!acquired,!or!received.!
•! Did!it!indicate!objective!knowledge!or!notice!of!the!confidentiality!
of!the!information?!
o! Would!the!reasonable!person!standing!in!the!shoes!of!
the!recipient!of!the!information!realise!that!it!was!given!to!
him!under!circumstances!which!would!impose!an!
obligation!of!confidence?!
•! Specific!circumstances.!
o! Current!employees.!
!! Usually!owes!a!duty!of!fidelity!to!their!employer.!
o! Ex]employees.!
!! Faccenda!Chicken!v.!Fowler![1987].!
•! FC!ran!a!chicken!delivery!business.!
o! Went!around!various!local!restaurants,!shops,!etc.!
selling!ready]prepared!chickens.!
o! F!was!one!of!their!van!drivers.!
!! Left!FC,!bought!his!own!van,!got!his!own!
chickens,!and!undercut!FC!at!the!places!that!he!
used!to!sell!FC’s!products!to.!
•! Didn’t!take!any!customer!lists,!etc.!just!
remembered!the!orders!that!people!had!
given!him!and!the!prices!charged!for!
those!orders.!
•! Court!asked!various!questions.!
o! What!type!of!information!was!F!using?!
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, !! Essentially!three!types!of!information!that!an!ex]
employee!may!end!up!using!after!employment.!
•! Trade!secrets.!
o! Always!protected.!
•! Commercially!sensitive!information.!
o! This!was!the!kind!of!information!
that!F!was!using.!
•! Employee’s!general!skill!and!knowledge.!
o! Never!protected.!
!! During!his!employment,!obviously!commercially!
sensitive!information!would!be!protected!under!
his!duty!of!fidelity.!
•! Afterwards,!however,!it!was!governed!by!
his!employment!contract.!
o! Unless!there!was!a!contractual!
obligation!which!protected!the!
information,!it!was!not!protected.!
!! What!is!a!trade!secret?!
•! The!nature!of!the!employment.!
•! The!nature!of!the!information!itself.!
•! Did!the!employer!impress!on!employee!
the!confidentiality!of!the!information?!
•! Can!the!relevant!information!be!easily!
isolated!from!other!information!which!the!
employee!is!free!to!use!or!disclose?!
o! Third!party!recipients.!
!! AG!v.!Guardian!Newspapers![1990].!
•! Hypothetical!example!where!top!secret!documents!are!blown!out!
of!a!window!and!land!on!a!bus!queue.!
o! Would!an!obligation!of!confidence!exist?!
!! If!it!was!obvious!that!it!was!confidential!
information.!
!
Unauthorised#use!
!
•! Primarily!a!question!of!fact.!
o! Usually!obvious.!
•! However,!does!it!require!detriment!to!the!claimant?!
o! AG!v.!Guardian!Newspapers![1990].!
!! Example!where!someone!leaks!the!information!of!an!anonymous!donor!
who!made!a!large!donation!to!hospital!fund.!
!! The!question!was!left!open!by!the!court,!although!Lord!Keith!thought!that!
it!would!be!a!breach!of!confidence.!
!
III.#Public#interest#as#a#defence?!
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Overview!
!
•! There!may!be!some!secrets!which,!even!though!they!are!received!under!an!obligation!of!
confidence,!should!be!disclosed!for!good!reason.!
!
Setting#the#record#straight?!
!
•! Woodward!v.!Hutchins![1977].!
o! Tom!Jones,!and!various!other!celebrities,!managed!by!Hutchins!(PR).!
!! They!made!out!like!they!were!family!people.!
!! The!Daily!Mail!got!hold!of!a!story!about!Tom!Jones’!various!affairs,!with!
the!information!leaked!by!Hutchins.!
o! The!court!held!that!the!celebrities!sought!publicity!in!a!favourable!light.!
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, !! Hutchins!was!engaged!so!as!to!help!produce!this!favourable!image!of!
their!public!and!private!lives.!
•! They!thus!could!not!complain!if!a!servant!or!employee!of!theirs!
afterwards!discloses!the!truth!about!them.!
o! It!is!in!the!public!interest!that!the!false!image!they!have!
created!is!corrected.!
!
Disclosure#must#be#‘in’#the#public#interest,#not#just#‘of’#public#interest!
!
•! Douglas!v.!Hello!![2005].!
o! The!difference!between!public!interest!and!mere!public!curiosity.!
o! Michael!Douglas!and!Catherine!Zeta]Jones!sent!out!wedding!invites!which!made!
it!clear!that!there!were!to!be!no!cameras,!and!searched!people!on!entry!to!check!
for!cameras.!
!! Had!arranged!to!sell!the!photo!rights!to!a!magazine.!
o! Someone!secretly!took!photographs!which!Zeta]Jones!said!that!she!would!never!
have!allowed!to!be!published.!
!! Hello!!magazine!bought!the!photographs!and!published!them,!and!they!
were!subsequently!leaked!to!The!Sun.!
o! One!of!the!arguments!made!by!Hello!!was!that!these!photographs!(and!similar!
ones)!were!going!to!be!published!in!OK!!magazine.!
!! It!was!therefore!in!the!public!interest!to!get!a!broader!range!of!material.!
•! Shown!by!the!fact!that!their!circulation!rose!by!100,000]200,000!
copies.!
o! The!public!clearly!wanted!to!see!these!photographs.!
o! The!court!held!that!it!was!‘of’!public!interest,!but!not!‘in’!the!public!interest.!
!! No!reason!that!this!should!outweigh!the!obligation!of!confidence!owed!to!
Douglas!and!Zeta]Jones.!
!
The#classic#example!
!
•! Lion!Laboratories!v.!Evans![1984].!
o! Some!employees!of!LL!found!that!their!breathalyser!was!defective!and!gave!false!
readings.!
!! This!was!an!endemic!problem!across!their!entire!product!range.!
!! Potentially!unsafe!convictions,!and!some!people!were!over!the!limit!and!
were!not!caught.!
•! Thus!was!therefore!justified.!
o! The!interest!in!knowing!the!truth!outweighed!the!interest!
of!the!employer!in!keeping!this!secret.!
!
IV.#Privacy#and#breach#of#confidence!
!
Privacy:#an#introduction!
!
•! Position!prior!to!Human!Rights!Act!1998.!
o! The!position!was!bleak!when!it!came!to!trying!to!protect!things!which!did!not!fall!
within!the!traditional!action.!
o! Kaye!v.!Robertson![1991].!
!! Gordon!Kaye!had!been!involved!in!a!very!serious!car!accident.!
•! In!hospital,!a!reporter!from!the!Sunday!Sport!blagged!their!way!
into!his!hospital!room!and!‘interviewed’!him!when!he!was!
extremely!intoxicated!on!morphine.!
!! However,!there!was!no!breach!of!confidence.!
•! There!was!no!obligation!of!confidence.!
•! The!court!could!not!do!anything!about!it.!
•! Seeds!of!change.!
o! Douglas!&!Zeta]Jones!v.!Hello!![2004].!
!! “The!courts!have!until!this!point!done!what!they!can!with!such!legal!tools!
as!were!to!hand!to!stop!the!more!outrageous!invasions!of!individuals’!
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