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The theme channel Fox Life, launched in France in 2005 with programming focused on films, fiction programmes and series, is, since the end of 2007 and the conclusion of a legal battle, no longer being distributed by CanalSatellite, the only French satellite package since its merger with TPS in early 2007. The dispute mainly concerned the duration of the channel’s distribution contract, because of the contracting parties’ diverging interpretations of a letter appended to the contract. According to the contract, it was to be valid for an initial period of two years, i.e. until 30 April 2007, and...

A French support scheme aimed at encouraging the creation of video games has recently been endorsed by the European Commission. The scheme was notified by the French authorities on the basis of Article 87(3) (d) of the EC Treaty; the Commission subsequently opened an in-depth investigation to ensure that the measure would not adversely affect trading conditions and competition, acting as an industrial policy instrument in favour of the French video game sector. The aid scheme enables video game manufacturers subject to taxation in France to deduct up to 20% of the production costs of certain games....

Call TV programmes - programmes where viewers are invited to phone in or send SMS messages at premium rates in order win hypothetical prizes - have been under the scrutiny of the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (audiovisual regulatory authority - CSA) for several months. In 2002 the CSA adopted a recommendation establishing rules for calls at premium rates, which were authorised if they were “occasional and discrete” and if they were an extension of a programme being broadcast at that point in time. Call TV operates according to a different model, however, since the calls at premium rates are...

On 23 November 2007 rightsholders of the audiovisual, cinema and music sectors, Internet access providers (IAPs) and the public authorities signed an agreement on cultural works and on combating piracy on the Internet. The agreement is the end result of the mission entrusted by Nicolas Sarkozy to Denis Olivennes last September (see IRIS 2007-9: 14 and IRIS 2007-10: 14), bringing together, for the first time, 42 bodies and companies agreeing on a number of joint proposals, and has been described by the Minister for Culture as “historic”. According to the terms of the agreement, the public authorities...

Although the right of reply “for any person named or designated in an online communication service” was instituted by Article 6 IV of the Act on Trust in the Digital Economy of 21 June 2004, the method for its application needed to be set out in a decree. This has only been adopted on 24 October 2007. The text begins by defining the method whereby people can request to exercise their right of reply. Thus it is necessary for the applicant to indicate the references of the message, the conditions for public access to the online communication service, and - if it is mentioned - the name of the originator....