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The Kommission zur Ermittlung der Konzentration im Medienbereich (Commission on Concentration in the Media – KEK) has no objections to the licensing of a linear television channel that Amazon Digital Germany GmbH plans to launch in Germany under the working title ‘Prime Video Live’. At its 256th meeting, it decided that diversity of opinion would not be harmed if the channel was granted a licence. Amazon Digital Germany GmbH, which is affiliated to Amazon.com, Inc., applied to the Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (Bavarian new media authority – BLM) for...

The Staatsvertrag zur Neuregulierung des Glücksspielwesens in Deutschland (state treaty on a new system of regulation for gambling in Germany, Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 – GlüStV 2021), which was signed by the heads of government of the German Länder on 29 October 2020, should enter into force on 1 July 2021. However, this is dependent on the treaty being ratified by at least 13 Länder by 30 April 2021 and by Saxony-Anhalt, where the new joint gambling authority of the Länder will be based, from 30 June 2021. The new state gambling treaty contains fundamental...

The 14 German Landesmedienanstalten (state media authorities) have jointly drafted new rules to implement the provisions of the new Medienstaatsvertrag (state media treaty – MStV). The boards of the individual media regulators are now gradually approving these rules, clearing the way for them to enter into force. The new rules are designed, among other things, to express in practical terms the MStV’s provisions on advertising.The principle being that minor broadcasting services (primarily Internet streams) do not require prior authorisation, and the MStV’s new provisions on media...

On 12 February 2021, the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament) adopted a draft act bringing German copyright law into line with the requirements of the Digital Single Market. The package, amending both the Urheberrechtsgesetz (Copyright Act – UrhG) and the Verwertungsgesellschaftengesetz (Collecting Societies Act – VGG), as well as introducing a new Urheberrechts-Diensteanbieter-Gesetz (Copyright Service Provider Act – UrhDaG), is primarily designed to implement the Directive (EU) 2019/790 (DSM Directive) and the Directive (EU) 2019/789 (Online SatCab Directive). The...

Late last year, the German Länder published a discussion draft on strengthening media accessibility, which is designed to expand the related provisions of the Medienstaatsvertrag (state media treaty – MStV). The public consultation process ended on 8 January 2021. Last year’s MStV reforms included measures to improve media accessibility. However, when the MStV was adopted, the Länder stated in a joint declaration that they intended to develop these rules further in the near future. This is reflected in the new discussion draft which, by extending media accessibility, aims...