Search results : 495

In IRIS 1997-2: 13 we reported on the proposal of the Dutch Government to reorganize the national public broadcasting system. At the time of publication, the exact text of the proposal was still confidential, anticipating on the evaluation of the proposal by the State Council (Raad van State) . This evaluation has now been published. Consequently, the text of the proposal - also containing the Government's response to the remarks of the State Council - was sent to Parliament on 3 February 1997. The proposal aims at what is called the `professionalization' of the national public broadcasting system...

On 1 October 1996 the Dutch Eerste Kamer (First Chamber of Parliament) gave its approval on a Bill amending the Law on Neighbouring Rights ( Wet op de Naburige Rechten ). Under the Bill, broadcasting organisations are stripped from their neighbouring rights in respect of the use in cafés, restaurants and other places that are freely accessible to the public, of the radio and television programmes that they broadcast. The Bill is expected to be enacted into law and to enter into force shortly (IRIS will kee you informed on this). Under the original Dutch Law on Neighbouring Rights, broadcasting...

In December 1996 the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled again in favour of copyright protection for programme formats (a plan or concept on which a television series is based). In 1994 the Court had already decided that in order to be protected by copyright, a format must be original, and elaborated in such a way that it can be regarded as a recognisable element of the work based on it. In the case of a television series this could result from the similar presentation of the different episodes. The recent case concerned a conflict between a group of programme producers, called Jiskefet (plaintiffs),...

In 1996 the President of the Amsterdam District Court had to decide a number of conflicts concerning formats. In the summary proceedings in the case of Beydals (plaintiff) vs TROS (defendant), between 1984 and 1989, the plaintiff had developed a programme format for a television series about computers and automation. She offered a pilot of this format to the broadcasting association TROS, which neglected the offer. In 1995 an employee of TROS developed a format for a series of TV shows about computers, multimedia applications and the like. At the time of the trial, five of the seven episodes had...

The digital direct-to-home (DTH) delivery by satellite of a "bouquet" of digitized television programs constitutes a separate act of communication to the public under Dutch copyright law, for which the operator of the service is liable. That is the essence of the decision by the President of the District Court of Utrecht in the case of Buma vs. Nethold, decided on 21 February 1997. The case is the first one that has been decided under the new regime of the Council Directive of 27 September 1993 on the coordination of certain rules concerning copyright and rights related to copyright applicable...