This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/entertainment/7517730.stm
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Jackson 'malfunction' fine axed | Jackson 'malfunction' fine axed |
(10 minutes later) | |
A US appeal court has thrown out a $550,000 (£275,700) fine against CBS for screening Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during 2004's Super Bowl. | A US appeal court has thrown out a $550,000 (£275,700) fine against CBS for screening Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during 2004's Super Bowl. |
Three judges ruled the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) watchdog "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in levying the fine. | |
Some 90 million viewers saw a fleeting glimpse of the singer's breast during a performance at half-time. | Some 90 million viewers saw a fleeting glimpse of the singer's breast during a performance at half-time. |
About 542,000 complaints were received by broadcaster CBS. | |
Jackson was performing alongside Justin Timberlake when the incident happened. | |
As he sang the line "gonna have you naked by the end of this song", he reached for Jackson's bra. | |
She covered herself up before the lights dimmed, during a performance seen by millions of families as part of American TV's highest-rated broadcast of the year. | |
CBS was flooded with complaints as soon as the footage was screened. | |
Apologies | |
The network, producers MTV and Timberlake all apologised, insisting the move had not been intentional. | |
But the fine was imposed in September 2004 and was the largest ever handed to a US television broadcaster. | |
The FCC fined 20 CBS-owned TV stations the maximum penalty for indecency - $27,500 (£13,780) - each. | |
CBS appealed against the decision, however. | |
The court said the FCC had traditionally fined broadcasters for indecent material only when it amounted to "shock treatment" for viewers. | |
In this case, the footage - lasting "nine-sixteenths of a second" - was too brief to merit such a penalty, it added. | |
"The FCC cannot impose liability on CBS for the acts of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, independent contractors hired for the limited purposes of the half-time show," wrote the chief judge on the panel, Anthony Scirica. | |
The FCC had argued the move was arranged in advance and said CBS should have been prepared to censor such a graphic image. | |
No statement on the ruling has yet been issued by CBS or the FCC. |
Previous version
1
Next version