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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...

On 18 March 2009, the Flemish Parliament officially approved the text of the new media decree, which primarily aims at transposing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive 2007/65/EC into regional law. Following this final approval, only publication in the Belgisch Staatsblad (Belgian Monitor), which is expected in a short time, is necessary so as to make the new Flemish decree legally binding. As the French Community also already adopted a decree in pursuance of Directive 2007/65/EC on 5 February 2009 (published in the Belgian Monitor on 18 March 2009), Belgium is proving itself to be one of the...

On 12 March 2009, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution on the protection of consumers, in particular minors, in respect of the use of video games. This non-legislative resolution deals with the restriction of the sale or banning of video games, which falls within the area of Member State competence. It does not propose particular EU-wide legislation. The Members of Parliament (MEPs) derive their considerations from a report drafted by Toine Manders, rapporteur of the political group Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). The report stresses that video games have a value...

In the battle against child pornography on the Internet, the Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Young People (BMFSFJ) is calling on Germany's largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to enter into voluntary agreements. According to the BMFSFJ, the ISPs should sign voluntary agreements promising to block foreign child pornography sites by the end of February 2009. For this purpose, the Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Police Office - BKA) would give the ISPs a "blocking list". The ISPs could then use the list to block web servers from countries in which either child pornography...