Cannes Lions bust up as Australian copyright row between Mail Online and News Corp reaches Europe's shores
An Australian copyright row between News Corp and Mail Online spilled over into European waters this week when Mail Online publisher Martin Clarke and a reporter from a News Corp title came to blows at Cannes, according to reports.
Row: Darren Davidson at Cannes
Darren Davidson, media reporter with News Corp title The Australian said that his iPad was grabbed from him by an associate of Clarke when he attempted to get an interview with him at a late-night Cannes party. Davidson claims he was then verbally abused and had beer poured over him.
According to Davidson, the altercation then moved to the street outside when he was forced to pursue Clarke to get his iPad back, which he said the video of the incident had been deleted from.
The news follows the growing feud between the newly-launched Daily Mail Australia and The Australian after the latter accused the Mail of lifting copy.
Andrew McCormick, editorial director of The Knowledge Engineer, was asked by Davidson to film the interview. Quoted in The Australian, he said: “Darren asked me to film a very brief interview with Martin Clarke.
“A woman who I can identify grabbed the iPad from my hands and poured two bottled of beer down my front… Eventually Darren, who also had beer poured over him and was shoved, got his iPad back.”
However, Mail Online sources denied Davidson’s version of events and told the Guardian Australia that Clarke was hounded out of the venue.
“They chased Martin out of the venue,” the Guardian was told. “It was really unpleasant and one of the party now has her hand in a bandage. Darren’s iPad was never stolen, nothing was deleted.”
The Drum was trying to reach Mail Online for comment at time of publication.