Hollywood film studios can claim a significant win in their ongoing fight against online piracy, after the UK High Court ruled that dominant telco and leading ISP BT must block access to an illegal file-sharing website. BT users will no longer be able to download illegally films and TV shows for free from Newzbin2. The […]
The European Court of Justice has dismissed the appeal brought by broadcaster Mediaset and confirmed that the Italian contributions for the purchase of digital terrestrial decoders, granted in 2004 and 2005 and totalling €220 million, constitute state aid incompatible with the common market. After the 2004 budget, which had introduced the incentive, rival broadcasters Europe […]
A US trade agency said it will let stand a judge’s finding that Cablevision Systems infringed a patent owned by Verizon Communications and will consider banning imports of set-top boxes used by Cablevision. Verizon filed the patent-infringement complaint last year at the US International Trade Commission, seeking an order that would block imports of set-top […]
The UK High Court is to ask the European Court of Justice (ECJ) if streaming live TV programmes over the Internet is an act subject to copyright laws after provisionally ruling that it is. Mr Justice Floyd said that TVCatchup did communicate to the public when it streamed programmes broadcast by ITV, Channel 4 and […]
Following the appearance before parliamentary committees of senior police officers and News Corporation staff, it was the turn of Prime Minister David Cameron to come under the scrutiny of the full House of Commons following a statement on the phone hacking scandal. In doing so, he refused to deny that he discussed the BSkyB bid […]
Belgian cable operators Telenet and are to appeal the decision by regulator group CRC to regulate the country’s broadcast market. The CRC, which includes regulators the VRM, BIPT, CSA and Medienrat, has submitted that the Belgian analogue and digital TV and broadband Internet markets must make access available to competitors on a wholesale basis. The […]
Dutch cable operator Ziggo has emerged victorious from its lawsuit against Rovi according to the IE Forum – a platform for lawyers in intellectual property protection. Rovi had accused Ziggo of violating its patent for an electronic programme guide. Ziggo claimed the Rovi patent was not valid and won support from the judge, who rejected […]
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has published a consultation on its plans to introduce local TV services. The framework document outlines the steps the government intends to take by using available secondary order making powers and the funding of up to £40 million secured through the licence fee settlement with the BBC to […]
An Egyptian Court has formally ordered satellite operator Nilesat to remove 14 Libyan state-backed channels from transmission. MENA, Egypt’s official news agency, reports that the orders came from Cairo’s Administrative Court. Lawsuits issued by Libyan nationals, as well as Egyptian lawyers, and presented to the court state that the channels are being used by President […]
Ed Vaizey, the UK Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, has criticised the continued legal action by ISPs BT and TalkTalk in respect of implementing aspects of the Digital Economy Act. Vaizey, in a keynote speech at the Intellect Consumer Electronics Conference in London, noted that in cross-industry discussions his department had facilitated […]