"Star Wars" and "Down with Love" star Ewan McGregor has won a major victory in a privacy lawsuit in England, successfully stopping a French photo agency from running photos of his two children taken without his consent, according to published reports.
The pictures were reportedly taken when McGregor, 32, and his wife (of seven years) Eve and their daughters, Clara Mathilde, 7, and Esther Rose, 2, were vacationing in Mauritius last December.
The French photo agency, Eliot Press SARL, did not appeal the legal decision, reports Britain's Guardian newspaper. The judge in the case will determine later what damages should be paid to McGregor.
The photos have already appeared in English and Scottish newspapers, reports Variety. Still, the case -- classified as a breach of confidence lawsuit -- could set a precedent for the levels of damages that courts will award for invasions of privacy.
McGregor's attorney, Mark Thomson, told reporters after Tuesday's hearing: "The courts are moving more to protecting the privacy of individuals and children and using the law of confidence to do it."
Thomson added: "I think there will be more of these cases involving paparazzi photographers," the Guardian reports.
According to the BBC, McGregor recently launched a stinging attack on the paparazzi, saying: "They shouldn't be shot, but they should be severely beaten up."
His legal action reportedly kicked in after he had requested that the media not photograph his children, only to find his request ignored.
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