The phrase "treachery with a smile on its face" was taken from her televised memoirs Thatcher – The Downing Street Years, first broadcast in the early 1990s. It was allegedly used by the BBC without permission to advertise a week-long series of programmes about the former Prime Minister.
Copyright in the clip, according to the Independent, rests with Lady Thatcher and the production company Fine Art – both of whom are now seeking damages for copyright infringement from BBC Broadcast and the UKTV channel.The BBC admits the infringement but has not agreed a figure for compensation, according to The Independent.Yvonne Dunn, a media law specialist with Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM, said:"This is an interesting case where an independent producer is flexing its muscles against a broadcaster. It serves as a warning that any use of copyright material belonging to someone else must be cleared to avoid expensive litigation and damaging publicity."
