Rowling wins privacy battle

LONDON, May 8 (UPI) -- Appellate judges have ruled the media may not publish photos of the young children of British novelist J.K. Rowling without her permission.

Rowling is the author of the wildly popular "Harry Potter" books.

Wednesday's decision stems from a lawsuit brought by Rowling against the Big Pictures photo agency, which covertly took photos of her then-toddler-aged son without permission in 2004, The Daily Telegraph said.

A High Court judge ruled in favor of the photo agency, however, appeals court judges overturned the decision.

"We embarked on this lawsuit not because we were seeking special privileges for our children but because we wanted them to grow up, like their friends, free from unwarranted intrusion into their privacy," Rowling and her husband Neil Murray said in a statement released to the Telegraph. "We understand and accept that with the success of 'Harry Potter' there will be a measure of legitimate media and public interest in Jo's professional activities and appearances. However, we have striven to give our children a normal family life outside the media spotlight. We are immensely grateful to the Court for giving our children protection from covert, unauthorized photography; this ruling will make an immediate and material difference to their lives."

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