Search results : 1375

On 5 December 2005, the Landeszentrale für Medien und Kommunikation (Regional Media and Communications Office - LMK) of Rheinland-Pfalz imposed a fine of EUR 12,000 against an Internet Service Provider. In the LMK's opinion, the ISP had offered users paedophile content, thus breaching the provisions of the Jugendmedienschutzstaatsvertrag (Inter-State Agreement on Youth Protection in the Media - JMStV). Under Art. 4.9 JMStV, content is unlawful if it portrays children and young people in an unnatural sexual way. The ISP had linked its sub-domains via a portal. In these domains, it had set up preview...

According to a survey by the Gemeinsame Stelle Programm, Werbung, Medienkompetenz der Landesmedienanstalten (Joint body on programming, advertising and media competence of the regional media authorities - GSPWM), the rules on isolated advertising spots are, in most cases, complied with by German private broadcasters. After random checks on 15 private TV broadcasters, the GSPWM found that isolated spots are mainly broadcast in the form of split-screen advertising. This system, in which the screen is divided into an advertising section and a programme section, is admissible under Art. 7.4 of the...

By a decision of 25 October 2005, the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter e.V. (voluntary self-monitoring body for multimedia service providers - FSM) of the Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (Commission for Youth Protection in the Media - KJM) was finally approved as a voluntary self-monitoring body in the sense of the Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrag (Inter-State Agreement on Youth Protection in the Media - JMStV). Members of the FSM include Internet companies which offer telemedia services. They will now be able to refer any allegations that they have breached the JMStV to...

On 24 November 2005, the governing parties adopted a preliminary draft Bill designed to limit certain tax relief schemes ("closed funds"), including media funds. Under such schemes, investors can offset any initial losses from shareholdings against their tax bill. The prominent feature of the schemes is not the yield on the fund, but the possibility of reducing the investor's taxable income in order to pay less tax. Under the new Bill, initial losses can only be offset against subsequent gains from the same source of income. Therefore, if the fund does not generate any profit, the investors suffer...

In a ruling of 17 November 2005, the Verwaltungsgericht Berlin (Berlin Administrative Court) decided that the Media Council of the Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg (Berlin and Brandenburg Regional Media Authority - mabb) may continue to decide which TV channels are transmitted via the Berlin cable network that has not yet been converted into a broadband network. It ruled that this procedure was in conformity with the Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (Inter-State Broadcasting Agreement) and European law. The legal dispute was triggered by a complaint lodged by a local cable network operator. The operator wished...