OK! to pay Hello! over circulation claims

Hello! Magazine today claimed victory in its legal battle with OK! magazine over circulation figures.

Hello! Magazine today claimed victory in its legal battle with OK! magazine over circulation figures.

Northern and Shell, publisher of OK!, has agreed not to publish any further claims that OK! circulation figures have overtaken those of Hello!

OK! has also agreed to pay Hello! £150,000 in damages and costs to settle a claim for malicious falsehood.

A spokesman for Hello! said the action was to have gone to the High Court but OK! agreed to all its demands and had "caved in", according to the trial judge, Mr Justice Hart.

"Hello! intends to donate damages won to the NSPCC's Full Stop Campaign, a charity for which it has pledged to raise £1 million."

The spokesman said Hello! issued proceedings for malicious falsehood and infringement of trademark last year after OK! distributed "false sales figures" for Hello! to advertisers and journalists.

After OK! agreed to settlement terms, Sally Cartwright of Hello! said: "We are delighted with this result. Clearly Northern and Shell knew it could not defend its action and as a result has completely capitulated a matter of hours before the matter was due to go to court.

"The activities of OK! demanded a strong response and we were left with no choice but to protect the company and the standards of behaviour expected in this industry through the courts."