Media liability in Maine

Maine’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act applies to qualifying actions filed or claims asserted on or after January 1, 2025. It covers specified public-interest speech and press activity, but excludes some seller-related claims; a “journalistic work” is not treated as a good or service for one part of that analysis. A September 24, 2025 amendment also addresses communications by people with a reasonable basis to complain about specified experiences. Publishers should ask counsel to distinguish the speaker’s own communication from a newsroom’s reporting or republication. ^5,^1,^6,⁷

What Is Media Liability?

Media liability can help pay defense costs for claims about content you create or distribute, such as allegations of defamation or infringement. Consider it if you publish or produce content for your business or clients; match the quote to each activity. Read the national Media liability guide.

What to Watch for in Maine

The filing date selects the procedure
The UPEPA applies to a civil action filed or cause asserted on or after January 1, 2025. The Act preserves causes asserted earlier and related motions under former §556, so counsel should confirm the date before relying on the current motion process. ^5,¹
A source’s statement is not automatically a publisher’s defense
Current §733 includes a communication made without malice about specified misconduct or discrimination experienced by a person who had a reasonable basis to file a complaint, whether or not one was filed. That category describes the person’s communication; a newsroom should not assume it automatically covers its own reporting or republication of the account. ^6,¹
Editorial and sales communications need separate review
For §733, journalistic work is excluded from the definition of goods or services. A separate exception addresses claims against a seller when the cause arises from a communication related to selling goods or services. Have counsel examine whether a dispute concerns editorial work, an advertisement, or a sales communication and how those clauses interact. ^1,⁵
A motion can pause proceedings early
A party generally has 60 days after service of a covered pleading to seek expedited relief, with later filing possible for good cause. The motion stays related proceedings and discovery, with limited-discovery and other stated exceptions; a prevailing movant receives motion-related fees, while a responding party does only if the motion was frivolous or solely meant to delay. ^2,³

Who Regulates Insurance in Maine

Maine Bureau of Insurance

The Maine Bureau of Insurance licenses producers and companies, enforces Maine insurance laws, and investigates property and casualty complaints including commercial coverage complaints. You can use its state lookup or complaint service to check a license or raise an insurance issue. ^8,^9,¹⁰

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 3% of gross direct premium when Maine is the insured's home state Maine charges 3% of gross direct premium when it is the insured's home state; your broker handles the tax and may include it with the premium. Surplus-lines policies are outside Maine guaranty-association protection. Maine generally requires a diligent search, with an exempt-commercial-purchaser exception requiring broker disclosure and the purchaser's written request. ^11,^12,¹³

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Media liability; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Maine. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

CoalitionCoalition Insurance Solutions, Inc.Insurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Coalition’s license page lists producer and surplus-lines licenses for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc. in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The page separately lists insurers; this record covers the brokerage entity only. ¹⁵
CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. ¹⁶

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Maine

Which activities did the broker review separately—reporting, user-submitted content, sponsored work, advertising, and republication?
How would the proposed policy handle defense costs and counsel decisions if a special motion is filed within 60 days?
What dated copies of the original story, edits, corrections, source communications, and first distribution should we preserve for counsel?