A federal judge in California ruled that writers and producers of “The Hurt Locker,” a film about bomb-disposal in Iraq, were protected by the First Amendment in presenting important information about a public issue. A soldier sued the film-makers for benefiting from his identity without permission.
“The court found, however, that on-screen depictions of the lead character were sufficiently ‘transformative’ to bring the material within the scope of First Amendment protection,” writes Kristen Rasmussen for The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
From The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, October 14, 2011, by Kristen Rasmussen.