Having entered London’s Excessive Courtroom yesterday, UK actors union Fairness and casting platform Highlight will now have to attend weeks for a choice over a landmark case that might radically alter the panorama for a way British actors receive work.
The pair spent round two and a half hours in courtroom yesterday giving respective arguments to the decide, we’re advised.
The decide will now learn all proof submitted and take into account oral submissions earlier than sending the choice to the respective attorneys. Sources who have been current advised us this determination will possible not arrive till at the least September, because the UK authorized system quickly enters the summer season recess.
Fairness is in search of a change in regulation that might require Highlight be classed as an employment company, that means its charges would “be not more than an affordable estimate of the price of manufacturing,” in accordance with the particulars of the union’s declare, which Deadline has seen. There would even be “an order that Highlight state the way it assesses” this estimate, per the declare.
Fairness has mentioned Highlight costs exorbitant membership charges of £198 ($268) per 12 months commonplace price and “exploits its monopoly place within the trade,” provided that the overwhelming majority of UK productions forged through Highlight. It alleges that Highlight has hiked costs by 30% because the platform was acquired by American agency Expertise Methods LLC in 2021.
In response, Highlight has questioned why it’s being singled out whereas its CEO has identified that the agency’s charges rose 9% under inflation between 2010 and 2025. Talking on a Highlight podcast earlier this month, Matt Hood contrasted this rise with Fairness subs, which he mentioned shot up by round 18.5% this previous 12 months and are “about 20% greater than they’d have been had simply inflation taken them.”
We revealed on Monday that Fairness can also be ramping up a marketing campaign to cease brokers charging ranges of fee that leaves a few of its members incomes under minimal wage.
