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The UK Government has published further information to supplement its draft Communications Bill, which is currently the subject of detailed consultation (see IRIS 2002-6: 9). The first document concerns the controversial question of the extent to which the new single communications regulatory body, the Office of Communications (OFCOM), will be able to regulate the BBC. The Government sets out proposed amendments to the BBC Agreement with the Secretary of State, currently the basis for its regulation. It is proposed that the amended agreement will bring the BBC within the "first tier" of regulation...

The UK Government has published a draft Bill to implement the proposals set out at the end of 2000 in its Communications White Paper (see IRIS 2001-1: 8). Consultation on the Bill runs until 2 August 2002; a joint committee of the two Houses of Parliament will also be scrutinising the Bill during this period and will report by 7 August. It is expected that the Bill will be introduced into the following Parliamentary session and will become law by late 2003. The major changes proposed in the Bill are as follows. A new single regulatory body will be established, the Office of Communications (OFCOM),...

The recent United Kingdom Budget contained two specific measures of relevance for the audiovisual industries. One introduces a new tax relief for the costs of intellectual property (amongst other intangible assets), which is being introduced from 1 April. The Treasury announced this on 26 March, prior to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's [the functional equivalent for a British Minister of Finance] Budget speech: "new relief for the cost of intangible assets (including intellectual property and goodwill) will encourage business to take advantage of new opportunities in the knowledge-based economy....

A man, who happens to be a TV presenter, went out for an evening of drinking with friends. He ended up in a brothel. A prostitute performed a sex act on him. Photographs were taken of him, drunk and partially undressed. The prostitute offered the story and photographs to the media (in this case a newspaper). The newspaper asked for his reaction. He sought an injunction against publication, on the ground that his right to privacy, inter alia, under Article 8 of the European Convention, would be breached. The High Court (Queen's Bench Division) upheld the claimant's application that publication...

The UK Government announced plans at the end of 2000 for a fundamental reform of communications regulation, creating a single new regulator to cover both telecommunications and broadcasting (see IRIS 2001-1: 8). A Bill is expected shortly that will implement the proposals. However, a controversial question has been the future regulation of the BBC. The new regulator will be responsible for regulating the BBC's basic standards of taste and decency; the application to it of quotas for matters such as regional and independent productions and the economic regulation of matters such as fair-trading....