Media liability insurance Media liability insurance

If you're into blogging or posting on social, media liability will cover you against accidental defamation, breach of regulations…even copyright infringement for an unlicensed image on your website.

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What is media liability insurance?

If you’re in the media industry, or publish lots of content as part of your business, media liability insurance protects you for IP infringement, breach of confidentiality, right to privacy, and breach of comparative advertising regulations. This cover is part of our professional indemnity insurance and is sometimes called errors & omissions insurance.

  • Pay monthly or annually, it’s your choice.
  • Get cover in less than ten minutes
  • Instantly view your policy documents
  • Cover for accidental copyright breaches
  • Cover for advertising regulations
  • Post and publish media content with confidence

Be quote confident

We're big on fairness. So if you find a lower price for a comparable quote, we won't just match it – we'll go one better and beat it.

So even better than apples to apples, apples to better apples. We're talking Galas to Braeburns.

As you'd expect, T&Cs apply.

Features of media liability insurance

1

Content and social fails

One tweet or misjudged Instagram post, and your business could face claims of defamation, slander or breach of privacy. Media liability insurance protects you for negligence in all your media content, including websites, blogs and social. So, if a post backfires, you'll know that any legal fees and compensation will be taken care of.

2

Copyright disputes

We're so used to sharing online that it can be easy to forget that using images or other content without permission could put you in breach of copyright. Media liability insurance is for just those moments, picking up the bill for any compensation and associated legal costs.

3

Comparative advertising regulations

It's a dog-eat-dog world and sometimes you have to take risks to stand out from the competition. But overstep the mark with your advertising and you could be in breach of the comparative advertising regulations, with fines, legal costs and compensation to pay. With media liability insurance, it's covered.

Once you've completed a quote, you'll be able to view a summary of cover. Please always refer to your policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.

Media liability insurance guide

Find out more about media liability, the risks it covers and what to look out for in a policy.

What does media liability insurance cover?

A media liability policy covers you for negligence in your communications over online and offline media, including social media, blogs, websites and advertising. Our policy covers for infringement of intellectual property, copyright infringement, breach of comparative advertising regulations, and privacy and confidentiality laws.

Who needs media liability cover?

Nowadays, most businesses are publishers of some sort, with social media accounts, blogs, content marketing, not to mention good old-fashioned advertising.

What risks does media liability cover protect you from?

Social media defamation cases are on the rise, with many businesses unaware that tweets and posts are subject to the same laws as other published content.There are other areas of media risk too. For example, you might accidentally use an image without permission from the owner, or make misleading or untrue statements about a competitor in your advertising.

Things you can do to protect yourselves

Steps you can take to protect your business include implementing a watertight approval process for your content, as well as outlining guidelines for the use of social media, blogs and online comments, so employees know what it and isn’t appropriate.

Media liability claims

There are various different types of media liability claims that can affect different industries, but here are a few examples of claims where the business could be liable:

As a graphic designer, you incorporate a design element which another artist claims is a copy of their work and they sue you. Media liability can cover your legal costs.

Intellectual property theft

Your business is accused of marketing a trademarked product without permission, breaching patent laws. Your media liability insurance covers your compensation costs.

Comparative advertising complaint

You run a billboard advert campaign comparing your prices to your competitors. Your competitor claims the comparison is unfair and inaccurate and sues you.

Defamation lawsuit

An employee (who is clearly identifiable as working for a company) posts on social media making untrue and unsubstantiated claims about a competitor, leading them to sue.

How do claims work?

1

Notify us of the claim

Contact us by email at claims@gosuperscript.com, by 24/7 freephone on 0800 772 3059 or by logging in to your customer portal.

Ideally this should be done as soon as possible and within 30 days of you becoming aware of anything which you think may be covered by your insurance.

A good indicator of whether or not to let us know is if there's an issue which may require a payment to be made on your behalf.

2

We'll get on the case

We'll acknowledge your claim within 24 hours, and sometimes in as little as 30 minutes! This means you'll receive email confirmation of your claims reference and contact information should you need to speak to us.

We will then reach out to you within 48 hours to request any extra information we need to progress your claim.

We'll keep you updated on the next steps as the claim progresses.

3

A decision is made

We'll let you know if your claim is successful or not. If your claim isn't covered, we will always try to point you in the right direction and support you as best we can in getting back to normal.

Read about the most common reasons claims aren't paid.

If your claim is successful, once we have all the documents we need, we will aim to settle claims such as accidental damage, theft and lost equipment within five working days.

Media liability insurance FAQs

Is media liability insurance required by law?

Media liability cover isn't mandatory by law in the UK. However, the unexpected costs of a copyright infringement claim against your business, for example, could be devastating. It's important to weigh up the relatively small cost of media liability cover versus the potentially devastating costs associated with a claim.

Is media liability the same as professional indemnity insurance?

Media liability cover is one element of professional indemnity (PI) insurance. PI will also cover other elements such as erroneous professional advice and professional negligence.

Is media liability cover tax deductible?

Yes. Media liability insurance is considered a business cost which counts as an 'allowable expense'. This means that you can deduct it when calculating your taxable profit and therefore tax deductible in the UK.

When calculating your taxable profit, you should keep a record of your business income and expenses, not only so that you can calculate it accurately but also as evidence in case HMRC wants to check on your business. For business insurance, this means your invoices and policy documents.

Do I need media liability cover?

Even if the main purpose of your company is not publishing or in creative media, in the 21st century most businesses will have a website or social media presence. Media liability cover can help any business that posts online protect themselves against the risks involved in posting content online.

Furthermore, any business that uses a logo or branding may be susceptible to being accused of breach of copyright or trademark if their designs are considered too similar to those of another business.

How can you buy media liability cover with Superscript?

With Superscript you have the flexibility to pay for your insurance monthly or yearly, depending on what works best for you.

You can also amend your policy any time, without fees, so you can keep your cover up to date as your business changes during the policy period.

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