Documentary producers win €1,400 in damages from airline, TV channel

Air Malta and Channel 97 Ltd were yesterday ordered to pay €1,400 in damages between them after a court concluded that they had violated the copyright held in the documentary Knights Of Malta.

David Kent Watson and Edward Bartoli, producers, told the court they had produced the documentary of which they held the copyright.

Air Malta had obtained a copy of the documentary and passed it to Channel 97, which broadcast it in March 1998 without the producers' consent.

In June 2006, the First Hall of the Civil Court had ruled that both Air Malta and Channel 97 had violated the copyright held by Mr Watson and Mr Bartoli. The case was then put off for the award of damages.

Presiding over the case, Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo pointed out that the producer did not bring any evidence to show what profits had been made by Air Malta and Channel 97 when they violated the copyright. The damages suffered by the producers therefore consisted of the loss of income they had sustained as a result of the two companies failing to procure the right to broadcast the documentary.

The court, therefore, ordered Air Malta and Channel 97 Ltd to jointly pay Mr Watson and Mr Bartoli €1,400 in damages together with interest from when the case was filed.