Right of business reporters in Hong Kong

[100LL]

I assume HK reporters can do whatever they want, including taking pictures of you personally, your staff, or your office, company premises or company property (equipment). If that is not true, they can sure take pictures of your building from the outside, right? And if so, how about through windows?

My company has a client that is currently making some headlines overseas (nothing negative, on the contrary). Since they prefer to lay low, press showed up at our place claiming that our client sent them (which is not true). Sent them away, informed security, etc... they took pics from the street (don't ask me why and for what). We have CCTV installed and signs up that say no photo taking allowed etc in case that matters.

I gave them our company brochures, but I guess they are not interested in writing about us ;-)

Just wondering. My guess: they do whatever they want.

[emx]

They do whatever they want & print whatever they want, regardless of what you say to them.

I would call the Police and say there is some drug dealers downstairs posing as reporters.

[100LL]

The photographer actually looked like a drug dealer
Older dude, suit, gray hair, ponytail.

[Gruntfuttock]

Not Spike surely?

[100LL]

Spike who?

I actually took a photo of him taking a photo.

He looked more like a Chinese version of Lagerfeld.

[100LL]

Second weekend, another team of reporters. I start to think that it is intention to show up on the weekend, for whatever reason. This time strangely not the rainbow press but some economic newspaper, wouldn't expect them to show up on Sunday in front of an office. Colleague was there by coincidence.

Security guards useless as usual. Seems everyone can just walk in, and they only bother residents with entry/exit cards

[emx]

Security guards useless as usual.

Stop paying the management fee or complain to your landlord if he/she pays it.

[jobin]

Taking photos while on a public street seems generally OK to me regardless of who is sighted through the lens. Tycoons nor thugs can deprive a photog if all are on the public street. Unless in China. But in HK signs prohibiting photos inside shops also seems reasonable. But taking photos from the street into the shop is a gray area so close the door.

[drumbrake]

[Watercooler]

There are no "privacy" laws in Hong Kong as such. If those reporters took photographs from a public location, there is little you can do about it, OP. There are defamation law in HK however (libel or slander, depending on the medium), which follows the UK example of being relatively plaintiff-friendly. If you find those photographs in some publication that cast your clients in a bad light, or damages their reputation, then you can consider suing them for defamation.

Of course, the photographers can come up with defences (i.e. fair comment-although that defence-among others, were abolished under UK defamation law reform, don't know about the HK laws however), that would depend who you are client is (i.e. some hollywood star or some shady crime boss) and how exactly they were portrayed with the wording accompanying the photograph. As always, consult a lawyer (preferable one specializing in defamation law).