David Jones drops legal action over child exploitation

Retailer David Jones has given up its legal pursuit of the think tank, the Australia Institute, over child exploitation claims.

The company was suing the institute and its former executive director, Clive Hamilton, over a 2006 paper - Corporate Paedophilia: Sexualisation of Children in Australia.

The article named David Jones and several other major retailers as child exploiters, but only David Jones took legal action.

Mr Hamilton says the result is a win for free speech and says David Jones should never have mounted the case in the first place.

"Like many people I was more than surprised, I was astonished that David Jones should pursue this case," he said.

"Whatever they thought about the merits of their argument, it seemed to be an extremely difficult case to win in the court of public opinion."

He says he is pleaded with the outcome and has no regrets about the initial report.

David Jones' legal avenue was the Trade Practices Act, the same laws used by the timber giant Gunns against environmentalists.

The retailer has not revealed why it dropped the case.

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