RTM v Bonne Terre Limited - Data Protection Appeal
Summary
The UK Court of Appeal (Civil Division) dismissed an appeal by RTM against Bonne Terre Limited and Hestview Limited, with the Information Commissioner intervening. The matter originated in the High Court's Media and Communications List before Mrs Justice Collins Rice. The judgment, delivered on 21 April 2026 by Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Lewison, and Lord Justice Warby, resolves a data protection dispute. The court affirmed the first-instance ruling, rejecting RTM's grounds of appeal.
Organisations subject to UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 should monitor the publication of the full judgment in RTM v Bonne Terre Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 488. The Court of Appeal's reasoning on the duties of data controllers and processors in media and communications contexts will inform future compliance interpretations.
What changed
The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's decision in [2025] EWHC 111 (KB), dismissing RTM's appeal in full. The Information Commissioner, as statutory intervener, made representations supporting the lower court's reasoning on data protection obligations. The judgment clarifies the application of UK data protection law in the context of the respondents' activities.
Affected parties and their legal representatives should review the full judgment to assess whether the court's interpretation of data protection obligations affects their own compliance frameworks. Organisations handling personal data in contexts similar to those in this case may need to revisit their data processing practices and documentation.
Archived snapshot
Apr 21, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Neutral Citation Number: [2026] EWCA Civ 488
Case No: CA-2025-000651
In the Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
on appeal from the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division
Media and Communications List
Mrs Justice Collins Rice
[2025] EWHC 111 (KB)
21 April 2026
Before:
Dame Victoria Sharp, President of the King’s Bench Division
Lord Justice Lewison
Lord Justice Warby
Between:
RTM
-v-
Bonne Terre Limited
Hestview Limited
and
The Information Commissioner
(Intervener)
Related content
- Download RTM-v-Bonne-Terre-2026-EWCA-Civ-488.pdf file Judgment 427.59 kb
- Download RTM-v-Bonne-Terre.Summary.FINAL_.260421.pdf file Media summary 150.73 kb Did you find what you were looking for?
Parties
Related changes
Get daily alerts for UK Judiciary Judgments
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from EWCA.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when UK Judiciary Judgments publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.