Helen Steel and David Morris first took on McDonald's and lost in a 314 day libel action which ended in 1997.

The so-called "McLibel Two" went to the European Court of Human Rights to argue that English libel law favours the rich and powerful, and is a breach of their human rights.

The case in Strasbourg lasted less than a morning - in stark contrast to their marathon High Court action, which made legal history.

Keir Starmer QC, representing Ms Steel and Mr Morris, told human rights judges: "This case is about the rights of two ordinary people without power or wealth to engage in a public campaign on matters of public interest and importance."

He said English libel law breached the Human Rights Convention - to which the UK Government is a signatory - because of the stark inequality between an ordinary couple and a massive corporation.

McDonald's mustered the most expensive lawyers and deployed all the resources of a multinational, while Helen Steel and David Morris struggled to argue their case without Legal Aid or the money to provide the legal expertise they required.

English libel law, said Mr Starmer, clearly did not meet the requirements of the Human Rights Convention, which guarantees the right to a fair trial and the right to freedom of expression.

Ms Steel, 39, and 50-year-old Mr Morris were taken to court by McDonald's for campaigning against the company, handing out leaflets entitled: "What's wrong with McDonald's?"

The leaflets - which the pair had no hand in writing - made serious allegations about the company's business conduct and the nutritional value of its burgers. The High Court in London ruled at the end of the 314-day trial that McDonald's had been libelled, and awarded the company £60,000 in damages for defamation, which was reduced to £40,000 on appeal.

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