Judge adjourns ‘Playboy’ case against listings website
Playboy Enterprises International inc, which is part of the magazine empire founded by Hugh Hefner has sued Entertainment Media Networks, which offers entertainment listings on entertainment.ie over photos of Ms Moss, used in the the magazine’s 60th anniversary edition, which are central to the claim.
In December 2013 Playboy claims without its permission, entertainment.ie published a link to images of the model, which it exclusively commissioned, a week before the 60th anniversary edition was published.
Playboy claims the defendant caused it significant loss and damage as well as damage to its reputation by publishing the images.
The High Court had previously made orders directing Playboy to produce certain material and documents to the defendant in advance of the trial.
The matter returned before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan at the High Court yesterday who heard the defendant seeks further information in advance of the trial, including Playboy’s accounts for the last five years. Yvonne McNamara Bl for the defendant said the accounts are needed in order to fully defend what is a very broad claim for damages against it.
Playboy says it should not have to disclose what it deems highly sensitive commercial information which it says has no relevance to the claim.
The judge adjourned the matter for two weeks to allow the sides discuss the matter. If the sides could come to an arrangement between themselves then the court may not have to rule on the matter, he said.
In its action seeking damages Playboy claims it engaged top fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marus Piggott to shoot exclusive ‘artistic’ images of Ms Moss in various states of undress. These works featured on the front cover and in an 18-page spread of the magazine’s 60th anniversary edition which appeared on December 10, 2013.
The images Playboy says featured the model in “various provocative poses” and wearing the classic playboy bunny costume.
