Advanced Television

Policy

Rovi appeals Ziggo EPG patent ruling

Digital entertainment products provider Rovi has appealed a court ruling in favour of Ziggo. Rovi originally took Dutch cable operator Ziggo to court in 2011, claiming breach of patents. The judge rejected the claims and Rovi is now appealing that decision. Rovi became, via companies Gemstar and Starsight, the owner of a number of EPG […]

March 20, 2012

RapidShare ordered to filter pirate material

A court in Germany has instructed file sharing website RapidShare to find a way to filter pirated content from its servers. This ruling came after a number of parties complained about the site, which allows users to upload and share content for download. The court indicated that RapidShare has a part to play in the […]

March 19, 2012

EchoStar pays up on NDS 2003 legal claim

A 10-year old legal claim between EchoStar (and Kudelski) and against NDS has finally been settled. NDS has said that the US Supreme Court ruling made on January 23rd in favour of NDS has seen EchoStar pay $18.95 million in damages, legal costs and interest, over to NDS. The cash was paid over on March […]

March 19, 2012By Chris Forrester

Sky movies boosted by broader competition investigation

BSkyB’s position as a dominant provider of premium movie content in the UK, which had been criticised in provisional findings from the Competition Commission (CC), is to be reassessed following recognition by the watchdog that market dynamics had changed since its August 2011 announcement. These include, in particular, that Netflix has launched a stand-alone ‘over […]

March 14, 2012By Colin Mann

Everything Everywhere can offer 4G

The UK’s largest mobile phone company, Everything Everywhere, should be allowed to offer its 27 million customers a 4G superfast broadband connection this year, according to Ofcom.. The media watchdog said it was inclined to approve an application from EE, which owns the Orange and T-Mobile networks, to launch a 4G network ahead of its […]

March 14, 2012

Kroes: Holland mustn’t force cable to open up

Commissioner Neelie Kroes, Vice President, European Commission, has confirmed in a meeting with European cable CEOs in Brussels that the European Commission opposes draft legislation by the legislator in the Netherlands to force cable operators to open up their networks to third parties Two particular amendments related to the Dutch implementation of EU Telecom Directive […]

March 9, 2012

Ofcom complains to Dutch regulator about porn TV

Ofcom has lodged a complaint with the Dutch media regulator about adult chat channels which are licensed in the Netherlands but broadcast in the UK. Ofcom says channels such as Babestation and Smile TV are accessible by children on Freeview and considers they may be in breach of regulations regarding the promotion of website content […]

March 9, 2012

ACCC to consult market on Foxtel undertaking

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has commenced market consultation on the proposed undertaking offered by pay-TV platform Foxtel in respect of its proposed acquisition of Austar, dashing the hopes of those who expected the regulator to give its approval of the deal. “The proposed undertaking has been offered by Foxtel to address the harm […]

March 7, 2012

BT, TalkTalk lose DEA appeals

The UK government has been given the green light to implement the Digital Economy Act after the final legal challenge by BT and Talk Talk was thrown out at the Court of Appeal. The two ISPs lost their appeal against last year’s judicial review of the government’s anti-piracy legislation on all but one ground. The […]

March 6, 2012

US broadcasters unite to stop Aereo TV service

Eight television networks and local broadcasters in New York have filed a suit against Aereo, a company that recently announced plans to deliver live local television programming online. The lawsuit seeks to block Aereo from launching its service, planned for March 14. Formerly known as Bamboom, Aereo hoped to offer a low-cost alternative to cable […]

March 2, 2012