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On 11 December 2018, the Lithuanian Parliament adopted a law on tax incentives for film production in Lithuania. The offers the opportunity to save up to 30% of a film’s production budget spent in Lithuania through the private investment scheme. The new law will apply to the period 2019-2023 and replaces the expired 20% tax incentive scheme that was in effect from 2014 until the end of 2018. According to Lithuanian Film Centre, the previous tax incentive scheme demonstrated positive results - since its introduction in 2014 there has been a rapid growth in the number of foreign film productions;...

On 26 November 2018, the EU Commission initiated proceedings for infringement of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union against 17 member states for non-compliance with the Directive requiring the transposition into national law of the Marrakesh Treaty (Directive (EU) 2017/1564) (see IRIS 2017-9/4 and IRIS 2016-9/4). The Marrakesh Treaty is a WIPO-administered convention that was signed on 27 June 2013 and entered into force on 30 September 2016, after the first 20 ratifications. The Treaty facilitates access to print works in formats adapted for persons who are blind, visually...

The Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania (RTCL) has imposed a fine of EUR 150 000 on the broadcaster ‘Init’, which provides cable and IPTV services in Lithuania, for infringing the Law on the Provision of Information to the Public (PIP) and for failing to comply with previous decisions. After finding TV channel ‘RTR Planeta’ responsible for repeatedly inciting war and national hatred, the RTCL had prohibited the retransmission of the RTR channel by traditional TV and online providers until 23 February 2019. On 1 March 2018, an investigation had shown that ‘Init’ had breached this ban. According...

In a decision dated 4 May 2018, the European Commission found compatible with EU law the Lithuanian authorities’ suspension for 12 months of the retransmission of a Russian-language channel, RTR Planeta, on the grounds of incitement to hatred. In its previous decisions of July 2015 and February 2017, the Commission reached the same conclusion regarding the temporary suspension of retransmission of RTR Planeta for three months by the Lithuanian authorities (see IRIS 2017-6/5). In the light of recurring infringements, on 14 February 2018 the Lithuanian authorities adopted a decision to temporarily...

At a meeting on 14 February 2018, Lithuania’s Radio and Television Commission (LRTK) decided to suspend the reception of Russian television channel RTR Planeta for one year. In a press release, the media watchdog said that the decision had been taken due to frequent legal violations by the broadcaster. In the broadcasting regulator’s opinion, RTR Planeta had breached the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the Lithuanian Law on the Provision of Information to the Public three times in 2017. It had incited viewers to hatred among nations and instigated war in its programmes “Duel....