Row over Edward Woodward story

Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright has complained after The Times copied his blogged tribute to Edward Woodward – and published it as if it had been a commissioned article.

The theft comes despite Times owner Rupert Murdoch’s constant complaints that the internet was stealing News Corporation content – branding Google a ‘kleptomaniac’ and a ‘parasite’.

Page 4 of Tuesday’s paper carried a Commentary article about Woodward, with Wright’s photo byline, headlined: ‘Poker face made him a convincing hardman.’

But the obituary had been lifted without permission from Wright’s website, then edited unsympathetically.

Wright drew attention to the theft on his Twitter feed, Tweeting: ‘Is it appropriate for a national newspaper to reprint my personal tribute to Edward Woodward as if it were an article written for them?

‘I’m not talking about quotes. Am talking about the entire article. But with edits they made that make me look ill informed and unfeeling. Perhaps they would like to send the fee they would pay the commissioned writer of such an article to Edward's memorial.

In response to a Tweet from David Baddiel, Wright added: ‘They just lifted it from my blog without asking. And cut off the entire end section about my last meeting with him

The Times today printed a ‘clarification’ which read: ‘We have been asked to make clear that Edgar Wright's appreciation of Edward Woodward, which appeared in the paper on Tuesday, November 17, was abridged and the full version can be read at www.edgarwrighthere.com.’

However, it made no mention of the fact the item had been used without permission.

Published: 20 Nov 2009