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On 9 May 2012, a new decree on aid for digitising heritage cinematographic works was to allow the practical implementation of a wide-ranging plan to digitise cinematographic works embarked upon by the French State last year (see IRIS 2011-7/23). The aim of the plan is to assist rightsholders in restoring, using and conserving works with a view to promoting their wider circulation. The action programme is in two parts. Firstly, it involves investing alongside catalogue holders through a major national loan system. A first agreement has just been signed with Gaumont, under which it should be possible...

On 2 May 2012, a decree was adopted, amending the Decree of 17 January 1990 on the broadcasting on television of audiovisual and cinematographic works. Previously, the Decree prevented the free-access channels from broadcasting feature films on Wednesdays, on Friday evenings, and during the day on Saturdays and Sundays before 8.30 pm. The new Decree reflects in part the agreements reached recently by France Télévisions and Canal+ with representatives of the cinematographic industry. The aim of these agreements is to relax the times for showing cinematographic works on television services as laid...

On 9 May 2012, the court of appeal in Paris delivered its decision in the dispute between the producers of the film Sheitan and the video-sharing platform Dailymotion regarding five videos, corresponding to the entire film divided into five parts, that could be viewed on the platform using streaming despite an order issued by the regional court in Paris demanding communication of data allowing identification of the person who had broken the law by putting the videos on-line. On 11 June 2010, the regional court in Paris had found the platform guilty of infringing copyright and had fined it EUR 15,000...

On 17 April 2012, the French competition authority (Autorité de la Concurrence) announced the start of a thorough investigation into the acquisition by the Canal Plus Group of the DTV channels Direct 8 and Direct Star. On 5 December 2011 France’s main pay-TV operator notified its acquisition, which gave it a toe-hold in the free-access TV market. In investigating the situation, the competition authority held that the operation raised “serious fears” that competition was being impeded. The Canal Plus Group occupies an extremely strong position, particularly in the upstream markets for acquiring...

France has been through a national tragedy, with the murder of three children and their teacher outside a Jewish school in Toulouse on the morning of 19 March 2012, coming just days after attacks resulted in the death of three soldiers in nearby towns. The killer was quickly identified and located; he had barricaded himself inside his home, where he was killed by police on the morning of 22 March, after more than 32 hours of negotiation with no result. At the same time, the Paris headquarters of the news channel Al Jazeera received an anonymous letter, postmarked 21 March 2012, claiming responsibility...