maduf02 new media legal implications katrien lefever

New media: legal implications (WP1) Katrien Lefever Peggy Valcke David Stevens

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Overview

 Actors  Network operators  Broadcasters

 Flemish Media Act  Audiovisual Media Services Directive

 Aggregators

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Network operator

 Privatisation of VRT transmission departement  Neutral network operator: guarantee of a non-

discriminatory and equitable treatment of all players  Awarding frequencies

 Not all frequencies for transmission departement  Tender procedure

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Content providers: Flemish Media Act

 Scope before May 2007  Private broadcasters (particuliere omroepen):

traditional broadcasters  Approval  Detailed obligations

 Television services (televisiediensten): video-on-demand, audiovisual fragments on internet,…  Notification  Less detailed obligations

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Content providers

 Bottlenecks  New media services subjected to disproportional obligations  Independency requirement: no political webTV  => Ad hoc revision Flemish Media Act

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Content providers: Flemish Media Act

 Scope after May 2007  Private broadcasters (particuliere omroepen):

traditional broadcasters  Approval

 Television services (televisiediensten): Private broadcasters offering other services to the public. Those services are services defined by art.49-50 ECT and their principal purpose is the provision of programmes.  Notification

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Content providers: Flemish Media Act

 Other private broadcasters (andere soorten televisieomroepen): no services defined by art.49-50 ECT and the principal purpose is not the provision of programmes  No approval or notification  No independency requirement  Eg. Political webTV  Eg. user-generated-content  Eg. websites that contain audiovisual elements only

in an ancillary manner  Eg. Video on YouTube, GarageTV

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Content providers: AVMS Directive

 Inspiration for this revision: evolutions at European level  Television without Frontiers Directive (1989)

 Scope: traditional broadcasting services  Audiovisual Media Services Directive

 Scope: audiovisual media services  Technology neutrality : Linear and non-linear

services  Layered regulation

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Content providers: AVMS Directive

 AVMS is a service  1) as defined by Articles 49 and 50 of the EC Treaty  2) under the editorial responsibility of a media service

provider  3) and the principal purpose  4) is the provision of programmes  5) in order to inform, entertain or educate  6) to the general public  7) by electronic communications networks

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Audiovisual Media Service

 1) Articles 49 and 50 ECT : economic service  Compensation  Excluded: non-commercial websites (no ads)  Included: videoblogs with advertising revenues

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Audiovisual Media Service

 2) Editorial responsibility: the exercise of effective control both over the selection of the programmes and over their organisation either in a chronological schedule or in a catalogue  Excluded: YouTube, GarageTV

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Audiovisual Media Service

 3) Principal purpose  Excluded: audiovisual content that is merely incidental

 Eg. Animated graphical elements  Eg. Short advertising spots  Eg. Journal websites  Eg. Online games

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Audiovisual Media Service

 4) Programmes: set of moving images with or without sound  Excluded: radio, blogs  Included: films, series, sports events, documentaries,…  Included: EPG, subtitles

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Audiovisual Media Service

 5) General public  Excluded: private correspondance, audiovisual content

in metro stations, shops

 6) To inform, entertain or educate  Excluded: images of traffic jam, images of snow in

skiing areas

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Audiovisual Media Service: overview

Source: European Commission, “The Commission Proposal for a Modernisation of the Television without Frontiers Directive: Frequently Asked Questions”, MEMO/05/475, 13.12.2005 (http://ec.europa.eu/comm/avpolicy/reg/tvwf/modernisation/proposal_2005/index_en.htm)

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Regulation: two-tiered approach

 Basic tier: all audiovisual media services  Additional basic tier: non-linear (pull) services  Extended tier: Linear (push) services (but simplified

compared to TVWF)

 Reasons for differentiation  Degree of choice and control of users  Impact on society

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Regulation: two-tiered approach

 Basic tier  Information obligation/identification of responsible

editor  Prohibition of incitement to hatred based on sex, racial

or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation

 Ensure access for disabled people (‘encourage’)  Respect copyright  Basic qualitative requirements for audiovisual

commercial communications

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Regulation: two-tiered approach

 Additional basic tier  Protection of minors  Cultural diversity: Promotion of European works

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Regulation: two-tiered approach

 Extended tier  Listed events of major importance for society

• Short news reports

• Quota for the promotion of European and independent works

• Quantitative rules for television advertising

• Stricter rules for protection of minors

• Right of reply

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Aggregators

 New actors between network operator and content providers: packaging content  E.g. TV Vlaanderen

 Flemish Media Act: scope  Broadcasters  Network operators

 French Community: scope  Content providers (éditeurs de services)  Aggregator (distributeurs de services)  Network operator (opérateurs techniques)

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Future: new problems

 Revision of Flemish Media Act  Modernisation  Felixibilisation

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 Bedankt!  Vragen?

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Lefever Katrien ICRI

K.U.Leuven Sint Michielsstraat 6

3000 Leuven Katrien.lefever@law.kuleuven.be