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A new Landesmediengesetz (media law - LMedienG) was passed in Baden-Württemberg on 19 July 1999. The law takes into account the amendments to the Dritter Rundfunkänderungsstaatsvertrag (the Third Agreement to Amend the Agreement between Federal States on Broadcasting - see IRIS 1996-8: 12), which came into force on 1 January 1997, particularly those concerning the guarantee of diversity. Furthermore, the provisions for the regulation of broadcasting-type communication services, which were no longer needed following the entry into force on 1 August 1997 of the Mediendienstestaatsvertrag (the Agreement...

In a judgement delivered on 8 July 1999, the Landgericht Potsdam (the Regional Court - LG) rejected an application filed by a committee member of the Brandenburg branch of the Christian Democratic Union ( CDU) for a temporary injunction against the publication of an article on the World Wide Web. The defendant was the Brandenburg Bundesland which, as part of an action project against violence, right-wing extremism and xenophobia, had set up a competition whereby children and young people were invited to give their views on these three themes. These views were to be published on a web page set...

On 31 May this year, the Federal Ministry of Justice tabled a draft Distance Marketing Law ( FernAG) which, according to the Federal Minister for Justice, should give mail order and electronic commerce customers greater protection. The aim is to bring German legislation into line with the provisions of Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts. The draft's two main provisions for consumer protection are: the full obligation on companies to provide information, and consumers' cancellation rights...

In early May, the television broadcaster tm3 secured the television rights to football matches in the European Champions League. For a total outlay of around DM 800 million, the partners in tm3 , the News Corporation owned by media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch - majority shareholder in tm3 with 66 % - and the Tele München group, jointly acquired national television broadcasting rights for the next four years' matches in the top European league from the European football union, UEFA. The four-year contract covers exclusive free-TV and pay-TV rights. tm3 was set up in August 1995 as a specialist women's...

In mid-April the Federal Cartel Office ( Bundeskartellamt ) authorised the acquisition by the Kirch group of shares in the pay-TV provider Premiere previously owned by Bertelsmann (CLT/UFA) and Canal+. As a result, when this merger is complete, almost all of the sharesCLT/UFA has retained 5 % - will be owned by the company whose digital subscription channel DF1 is the only other competitor on the German market. This change in ownership is to be the last major development in the German pay-TV market for the time being. Most previous initiatives proposed by the former shareholders to reorganise...