London Photographer Wins Copyright Case Against News Site, but Struggles to Collect Damages

A London-based photographer has successfully sued a local news website for using his images without permission, but recovering compensation has proven difficult as the outlet’s owners remain untraceable. 

Richard Southall, a professional photographer and member of the Association of Photographers and the Royal Society of the Arts, filed the lawsuit against The London Post and its operators in September 2025, highlighting ongoing challenges around copyright enforcement in the digital media landscape.

According to a report by the Press Gazette, Southall produces images for clients in the hospitality, leisure, and construction industries. He claimed that The London Post, run by 2Trom Media Group and its director Viktor Tokarev, had used his photographs without licensing them. 

Despite the lawsuit, neither 2Trom nor Tokarev responded, prompting the Birmingham Business and Property Courts to issue a default judgment in Southall’s favor, awarding him £335 in damages.

Securing this compensation, however, has not been straightforward. The addresses listed for 2Trom Media Group and Tokarev at Companies House were a block of flats in Harlow and a virtual office in Leyton. Enforcement officers were unable to serve the judgment, leaving Southall with a legal victory that is difficult to enforce in practice.

The case underscores a broader issue photographers face when their work is misused online. Even when the law is on your side, obtaining redress can be complicated by opaque corporate structures and unresponsive website operators.

London Post

Investigations into The London Post reveal that it operates more like a network of disinformation sites than a legitimate news outlet. The Press Gazette found that the site has no real journalists, editors, or newsroom. 

Instead, it appears to publish low-quality content, often reproduced from press releases or rewritten from other sources, while promoting illegal gambling, adult websites, and puff pieces on influential figures from former Soviet republics.

The London Post’s content includes articles such as “How the people’s lands came to be owned by Klyachin: The Story of the Biggest Landowner of the Moscow Region” and coverage of exiled Kazakh politician Mukhtar Ablyazov, often with inflammatory or misleading framing. 

At one point, the site accused Russian businessman Magomed Musaev of selling McDonald’s Russia to a sanctioned oligarch, prompting Musaev to claim it was an orchestrated information campaign.

Despite these concerns, the site appears on Google News and receives around 50,000 visits per month, giving it the appearance of a legitimate local publisher.

Implications for Photographers

Southall’s case highlights the risks photographers face when licensing images online. Even small-scale copyright infringements can be difficult to address when the offending party is based overseas or operates through complex corporate shells. 

For photographers, verifying the legitimacy of outlets before granting licenses, using metadata and watermarks, and documenting any unauthorized use are key steps to protect your work.

The situation also raises questions about digital platforms and search engines that may inadvertently lend credibility to dubious sites by including them in news aggregators. 

While legal mechanisms exist to enforce copyright, the practical difficulties of pursuing overseas or evasive operators remain a significant barrier.

Southall’s experience demonstrates that winning a judgment is only part of the challenge. For photographers and creators, navigating the intersection of copyright law, digital distribution, and international enforcement requires vigilance, persistence, and careful documentation to ensure your work is respected and protected.

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