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In 2004 and 2005 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport undertook an 18 month review of existing co-production treaties in consultation with the UK Film Council and the UK film industry. Based on this review, on 28 February 2005, it was announced the UK intended to develop a new series of bilateral co-production agreements designed to bolster economic and/or cultural benefits for the UK. Negotiation of new treaties or renegotiation of existing treaties were on the agenda for such countries as India, China, Morocco, Jamaica, Australia, new Zealand, Canada and France. The agreements enable films...

The UK Government has now published its delayed White Paper on the future of the BBC. In general, it repeats the proposals made in the earlier Green Paper (see IRIS 2005-4: 11). This will form the basis for the new Royal Charter for the Corporation, to run from the beginning of 2007 until the end of 2016; a draft Charter and Framework Agreement with the minister are published alongside the White Paper. For the first time, the Charter will refer explicitly to the scope of judicial review for enforcing its provisions and those of the Agreement. The White Paper sets out six new public purposes for...

In 1982, a book described as a historical conjecture, “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail” (HBHG), was published. It suggests that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had children, and that Mary Magdalene fled to a Judaic Community in the South of France after Christ’s demise. Their putative offspring continued the bloodline from the Tribe of Benjamin to the Merovingian dynasty and from there to Godfroi de Bouillon. Two of the three authors of HBHG contended before the courts that in writing the novel “The Da Vinci Code” (DVC), Dan Brown had produced an infringing copy of their original work for which his...

The European Commission has issued a decision that makes commitments from the UK Football Association Premier League concerning media rights legally binding. The commitments will remain in force until 30 June 2013, covering the next two rounds of bidding. The Commission had raised concerns about the joint selling of rights by the Premier League, which might deprive media operators and British football fans of choice, and lead to higher prices and reduced innovation. However, the Commission also recognised that there are benefits to joint selling for football fans and media operators as well as...

A unit to combat film piracy has just been established as a joint venture between the Metropolitan Police and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT). The Film Piracy Unit has been established within the Police's Economic and Specialist Crime Command and “will investigate those individuals and organizations involved in the illegal activity in the area of film piracy” e.g., the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit film products. Where such individuals or organizations have profited from such activity, the confiscation powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 may be brought into play....