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On 6 May 2009, the European Parliament voted on the informal political agreement reached with the Commission and the Council in the discussions following last autumn’s first reading of the Telecoms Package. The package involves a revision of the EU’s electronic communications regulatory framework, appertaining to five existing Directives and as encapsulated in three separate legislative proposals and corresponding Parliament reports (see IRIS 2008-10: 4). The EP approved the new package in its entirety, save for one modification: it reinstated amendment 138 of the Trautmann report, a controversial...

To support the cross-border delivery of online content, the European Commission launched the "Creative Content Online in the Single Market" initiative (see IRIS 2008-2: 5). This initiative is aimed at enhancing the availability of online content and ensuring that all players in the value chain receive adequate revenues. In the short term, these goals may be realised through pragmatic solutions, but the Commission is examining whether, in the medium term, regulatory intervention is needed. To help identify the main challenges and set future priorities, the Commission set up the Content Online Platform,...

The amended self-regulation document of advertisers passed the Slovenska oglasevalska zbornica (Slovenian Advertising Chamber - SOZ) on 19 March 2009. The Article titled “Children and Minors” has been transposed to the section “Special Rules” and some substantial changes have been made; the provision has been expanded in accordance with the new media and information and communication technology related risks, and the age limit was lowered. In the first two paragraphs of Article 18 of the Code it is claimed that it is foremost the responsibility of parents or guardians to protect children against...

The Bundesfamilienministerium (Federal Ministry of Family Affairs) is now using legislation as well as a voluntary agreement scheme for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to combat child pornography on the Internet. The Bundeskabinett (Federal Cabinet) has decided on the key points of a corresponding Act, which could be implemented by summer 2009. By then, ISPs are supposed to be technically capable of blocking child pornography sites. Countries such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Switzerland and Italy have already introduced such blocks. The aim is to create a legal basis obliging...

The Verwaltungsgericht Berlin (Berlin Administrative Court - VG) has decided that the private television channel ProSieben broke youth protection legislation by broadcasting the episode "Three's a Crowd" of the series "Sex and the City" at 6p.m., and rejected the broadcaster's appeal against the objections raised by the Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg (Berlin-Brandenburg Media Authority - MABB). The Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (Commission for the protection of young people in the media - KJM) considered the episode to be likely to harm the development of children under 12 within the meaning...