GALLUP POLL “PIRACY”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29680, 25 November 1961, Page 11

GALLUP POLL “PIRACY”

Allegation In Sydney (N.Z. Fress Asm.—CopvrtpMf SYDNEY, Nov. 24. Australian Consolidated Press. Ltd, publishers of toe "Daily and Sunday Telegraph," had committed “two clear acts of piracy" by publishing the results of Gallup polls, a barrister told the Equity Court today. The barrister, Mr L. W. Street, sought the continuation of an order, granted last Friday, restraining the company from printing any Gallup poll results until the hearing of the suit, alleging breaches of copyright against it He appeared for Mr Roy Edward Morgan, company director, of Melbourne, and Australian Public Opinion Polls (the Gallup method), also of Melbourne. The Chief Judge in Equity, Mr Justice McLelland. granted the order by consent Mr Street said that in IBM Australian Consolidated Press committed a breach of copyright by allegedly publishing a Gallup poll result He said this led to a District Court action in 1959, which was settled when Sir Frank Packer, chairman of A.CP, signed an undertaking that the company would not publish any more Gallup polls. However, on October 22, 1961, the undertaking was broken when A.C.P. reprinted part of a Gallup poll that had been published in toe “Sun-Herald."