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Spanish court in favour of topless celebs

Jubsout photographic exposés 'legitimate news'

NSFW A Spanish court has ruled that celebrities exposed by the country's jub-hungry tabloid press must accept that they're a legitimate news target for the cameras, whether they happen to be wearing a bikini top or not.

According to El Mundo, the Civil Division of the High Court has overturned a 2003 decision in favour of former Miss España María Reyes, whose assets were flashed across the cover of magazine Interviú.

The cover of Interviu featuring Maria Reyes

The publication was ordered to pay Reyes €30,000 for the Ibiza exposé, but its appeal successfully argued that the photographs were "of public interest" and newsworthy for those media "belonging to the tabloid, entertainment or showbusiness genres".

The court ruled: "A public figure who exposes themselves to public view in a public place must accept that this can be photographed and published without their permission even if they don't like the result, always assuming that this is of news interest to the media outlet's socially-accepted demographic."

Regarding the matter of absent bikini tops, the court noted that "enjoying the beach without a bikini top" is an "accepted social custom" and that consequently "a photographic image of someone captured in this state without their permssion cannot be illegal, nor would it be if they were captured otherwise dressed on the beach or photographed in everyday clothing".

In summary, the court declared that the legality or illegality of press photographs "does not depend on whether the subject is wearing a bikini top or not".

This landmark ruling is a severe blow for Spain's enormous population of celebs who live off nothing more than their media exposure, but believe they have the right to decide when it suits them to avail themselves of popular press coverage.

Those of you about to protest that Blighty too is awash with "famous for being famous" z-list "personalities" should be aware that Spaniards have a voracious appetite for such nonsense, and a press more than willing to feed the hunger. ®

Moderatrix Post-It

Your lovely bespoke cut'n'paste comments for this story are:

1) Who is this woman? I've never heard of her. Therefore this is not news.

2) The only thing missing from that picture is a motorboat - by me!

3) Nothing in this world fills me with greater rage than celebrities whining about invasion of privacy. As soon as you agree to a photoshoot for your own self-publicity then you have signed a Faustian deal in which you essentially belong to the media and the public at large. That's all there is to it. I have spoken.

4) BOOBIES! BOOBIES! BOOBIES!!!

BOOBIES!

5) Fair enough, really. A normal activity in a public place - you've got to expect it.

Gosh, that was reasonable. I think I need a little lie-down.

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