Practice—Injunction—Injunction against rest of world

Queen’s Bench Division, Eady J, 22 Apr 2010

When seeking an injunction against persons unknown in respect of copyrighted material, an applicant should generally be required only to serve those in the media whom it has reason to believe would have an interest in the story.

Richard Spearman QC (instructed by Schillings) for the applicant.

The applicant’s laptop was stolen in a burglary. It contained electronic information, including visual images of the applicant and other persons. A friend had made an assignment of copyright to the applicant in anticipation of the instant proceedings. The individuals who stole the laptop had not been identified. The applicant obtained an interim injunction without notice against “persons unknown”. The order was based primarily upon claims to be brought to restrain infringement of privacy and possible breaches of copyright. The order contained provisions relating to anonymity and restricting access to the documents on the court file. There were also obligations imposed