Coldplay kiss-cam scandal: Lawyers weigh in to devCan Andy Byron sue band?
This week has undoubtedly been chaotic for former Astronomer chief executive Andy Byron.
The married technology boss landed himself in hot water when he was caught on the kiss-cam at a Coldplay gig at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, getting cosy with Kristin Cabot, Astronomer's head of HR - and crucially, not his wife.
After the footage went viral, Astronomer released a statement and Byron stepped down from his role, shortly before Martin made a statement warning fans what to expect at his next concerts.
Amid the resulting furore, rumours emerged that Byron might pursue legal action, despite Martin cautioning supporters what they could expect at his upcoming show.
The Mirror US consulted two barristers about Byron's possible legal position against the British rock band.
"Any legal claims from Byron would be dead on arrival," stated Ron Zambrano of West Coast Employment Lawyers in Los Angeles. "He has no grounds to sue.", reports the Mirror US, reports the Express.
Zambrano explained further: "First, it would immediately be struck down as a restriction on creative speech and Coldplay's ability to be artistic during their performances. Second, Byron and Cabot waived their right to privacy when they decided to attend a public event, so their public display of affection is on them, not on Coldplay. They just got caught."
Supporting Zambrano's view, Tre Lovell of the Lovell Firm, who specialises in civil and entertainment law, agreed: "CEO Andy Bryon has no legal recourse against Coldplay for putting him on the big screen."
Lovell remarked, "When you are out in public, you have no right to privacy for your actions. People are free to photograph you and video you."
He clarified, "What people cannot do is use the video or photographs to violate your right to publicity in terms of using your image for commercial purposes or defame you and depict you in a manner that is false or untruthful."
Expanding on the implications, Lovell said: "The fact that the big screen caught the CEO doing something embarrassing or immoral in public is on him."
To date, neither Byron nor Cabot have commented on the footage.
However, Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin seemed to allude to the event with a bit of playful banter during his next show.
Without directly mentioning the incident, he jokingly cautioned the crowd about the possibility of being displayed on the big screen, advising: "Please, if you haven't done your makeup, do your makeup now!"
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