Search results : 1095

In a decision handed down on 29 June 2012, the Conseil d’Etat (France’s highest administrative jurisdiction) has cancelled for a second time the rating certificate for Lars von Trier’s film Antichrist, which prohibited showing it to anyone under 16 years of age. In France, the showing of films in cinema theatres is subject to obtaining a rating certificate (visa d'exploitation) from the Minister for Culture, on the opinion of the Film Rating Board (Commission de Classification des Oeuvres Cinématographiques). The Board may issue a certificate authorising the showing of a film to any audience, a...

On 23 July 2012, the European Commission announced that it had written to Portugal, Slovenia, Finland (concerning the region of Åland) and the United Kingdom (concerning Gibraltar) to seek information on the implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive. In 2011, the European Commission had already sent fact-finding letters to twenty-four member states (including Finland and the United Kingdom). The European Commission is looking for clarifications on the following issues: the country of origin principle and jurisdiction issues; audiovisual commercial communications; the protection...

On 17 April 2012 President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan signed a resolution “On the State Programme on technical and technological transfer to digital television broadcasting in Uzbekistan”. The document envisages the switch-over taking place in two stages: the first stage in 2012-15 and the second stage in 2016-17. Full introduction of digital television is scheduled by the end of 2017. The government plans to retain both analogue and digital broadcasting until 1 January 2018. Until 1 January 2018 the state radio transmission centre and the National Broadcasting Company (NTRKU) are entitled to...

On 21 June 2012, the Supreme Court issued a much-commented decision on indecency. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently amended its indecency policy to find fleeting expletives and fleeting nudity actionably indecent. In 2009, the US Supreme Court (the Court) in Fox v. FCC upheld the amended policy and remanded the challenge by Fox Television Stations Inc. (Fox) to the Second Circuit for further proceedings consistent with its holding (see IRIS 2009-6/32). On 21 June 2012, the Court resolved the case by invalidating penalties levied against Fox for airing fleeting expletives and...

On 11 July 2012 the State Duma (parliament) adopted in the final reading a federal statute titled О внесении изменений в Федеральный закон “О защите детей от информации, причиняющей вред их здоровью и развитию” и отдельные законодательные акты Российской Федерации (“On amendments to the Federal Statute “On the Protection of Minors against Information Detrimental to their Health and Development” and to other legal Acts of the Russian Federation”). It was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on 28 July 2012. The new Statute introduces a number of changes to the regulation of Internet, not...