Search results : 1127

One in eight parents are failing to take any action to protect their children online according to a new report by the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom released on 15 January 2014. The report, the first of three to be commissioned by the Department of Culture Media and Sport, asked parents of 5-15 year-olds how they kept their children safe in an online world. It concluded that 15% of parents either don’t know how to activate such controls as family-friendly internet filters, or are unaware that they exist. Children are increasingly participating in an online world, with the report revealing that...

The British Board of Film Classification is the self-regulatory and co-regulatory body that classifies films, videos on all physical formats (including DVD and Blu-ray Disc) and certain video games, advertisements and trailers. On 13 January 2014, it published new Classification Guidelines after undertaking a large-scale public consultation involving more than 10,000 members of the public. This found a particular concern about the sexualisation of girls and pornography. There was also worry about the content of music videos and the ease of accessibility of online porn. Parents were concerned about...

In two consecutive decisions delivered on 28 January 2014 and 5 February 2014, the administrative court of Paris, deliberating under the urgent procedure, suspended the exploitation licence issued by the Minister for Culture to Volumes 1 and 2 of Lars von Triers’ film Nymphomaniac, which paints a psychological portrait of a young woman addicted to sex. Volume 1 was released in France on 1 January and Volume 2 on 29 January 2014. Under Articles 3 and 3-1 of the Decree of 23 February 1990, the exploitation licence issued by the Minister for Culture may be either unrestricted or combined with a ban...

In a ruling of 8 January 2014 (case no. I ZR 1169/12), the first civil chamber of the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Supreme Court - BGH) decided that parents were not liable for copyright infringements committed by their grown-up children if they had no actual knowledge of the offences. The plaintiffs, four major German record producers, had taken court action against the defendant. According to the charge, the defendant’s 20-year old stepson had made around 3,750 music files available via online filesharing sites in 2006. The rightsholders had written to the stepfather, demanding lawyers’ and caution...

In a ruling of 12 December 2013 (case no. I ZR 192/12), the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Supreme Court - BGH) decided that linking a competition to the sale of sweets in a television advertisement was admissible, provided the diligence requirement set out in Article 3(2)(3) of the Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (Unfair Competition Act - UWG) did not apply, since the advertisement was aimed not only at minors. The case concerned a TV commercial for a competition in which customers had to purchase the advertised sweets in order to take part. The advertisement showed the presenter Thomas Gottschalk...