Equity takes legal action against Spotlight over monthly fees

© Danny KaanEquity, the union for performers, has taken legal action against the casting directory Spotlight over its current monthly subscription fee.

Spotlight is a 90,000 member-strong casting directory, used frequently by producers, casting directors and more to find details and information about performers. In Equity’s words, it is a “gateway through which working people access jobs”. Recently, Spotlight increased its monthly fees by nine per cent, sparking outcry on social media from existing members and some within the industry.

Now, in a class action started by eight Equity members (plus the union) at the High Court, Equity claims that the directory should be covered by the Employment Agencies Act 1973, and the Conduct of Employment Agencies Regulations 2003. Under the regulations, “the fee charged to the work-seeker [must] amount to no more than a reasonable estimate of the cost of production and circulation of the publication attributable to the inclusion of information about that work-seeker in the publication”, per s 26(5)(b)(ii) of the 2003 regulations.

In effect, Equity believes that Spotlight has not, despite requests, justified the fee it charges members to be listed. In their words: “Spotlight’s subscriptions charged to its members are above what the law reasonably allows.” The union is looking for Spotlight to justify the existing price of membership. They added: “Equity wants to see Spotlight use the same model as equivalent services in other sectors.”

Spotlight disagreed with this claim when first approached by Equity however, stating that they are not bound by the regulations due to certain exemptions already in place and are therefore not an employment agency as defined by the Act. The legal action, therefore, is to ascertain whether Spotlight is bound by the act and the regulations.

Spotlight has not yet responded to the action taken at the High Court this morning.