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New Hampshire

New Hampshire courts have recognized intrusion and private facts claims. They have not considered false light, and a lower court has rejected the misappropriation tort.

Private Facts: A prisoner who voluntarily participated in a television interview for a documentary on prisons and prisoner rehabilitation did not have grounds for an intrusion claim. The court noted that the subject matter of the film was of public interest and that the prisoner was a public figure because of his crime. Buckley v. WENH, 5 Med. L. Rptr. 1509 (D.N.H. 1979).

Misappropriation: An Olympic swimmer’s misappropriation claim failed because the purchaser of a Web site containing her name and likeness did not maintain or use the site after the purchase. Thompson v. C & C Research & Development, LLC, 898 A.2d 495 (N.H. 2006).

Photographers’ Guide to Privacy, Fall 2007. © 2007 The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced without the written permission of the Reporters Committee.