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TechnologyDaily Mobile
Mobile Broadcasting In Britain
by Danielle Belopotosky
A British lobbying shop on Tuesday argued against a European Union proposal that would unify rules governing advertising on television and mobile platforms.
Intellect, a London-based group that represents the advertising, broadcasting, new media, technology and telecommunications sectors, said the draft directive on audiovisual media services under consideration in the European Commission would damage the emerging market of video broadcasts via mobile phones or the Internet. Member companies include Cisco Systems' U.K. subsidiary, Intel, ITV, Vodafone Group and Yahoo.
"We are not arguing that new 'on-demand' services should be exempt from legal standards" John Higgins, director-general of Intellect, said in a statement, "but this is not the most effective way either to protect consumers or to create a healthy media sector in Europe."
Last September, the commission announced plans for uniform ad rules for television and services that offer broadcasts over the Internet or wireless devices. The rules for TV broadcasts include restrictions on hate speech, as well as rules for broadcasting age-appropriate content.
The delivery of content on mobile platforms is "why we have to adapt our rules for audiovisual content so that they continue to answer to societal needs," European Commissioner for Information Society and the MediaViviane Reding said at a conference in Liverpool last year.
The alliance said the proposal would discourage the growth of new media content and hinder investment in the European Union. They further warned that it would not give consumers adequate protection and would undermine existing regulations. Intellect said that while some of the ad restrictions would be welcomed, the extension of those to TV-like broadcasts is "too broad" and would confuse consumers.
Reding said the purpose of the plan is to bring national rules under one umbrella rather than a "patchwork" of regulations and case law. It also would clarify rules for product placement, she said.
The European Telecommunications Network Operators Association has called on the commission to take a light regulatory approach. The directive should "generally move toward deregulation instead of extending obligations from the traditional markets to new ones," ETNO Director Michael Bartholomew said in statement in September.
In Canada, meanwhile, the Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last week decided not to regulate mobile TV broadcasting services.
The commission said services offered by Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility and delivered over the Internet on cell phones are exempt from broadcast regulations when accessed in conjunction with MobiTV. U.S.-based MobiTV's service converts video content to a format compatible with browsers on mobile devices.
The commission in June is expected to review regulations governing the television industry, at which point it could revisit the decision or update rules to incorporate new technologies.
Independent Labels Leave Canadian Music Group
Six independent recording labels in Canada have severed ties with the Canadian Recording Industry Association after the association proposed radio content rules. According to news reports, the labels say the rules would promote the best interests of multinational record companies rather than Canadian artists.
"It has become increasingly clear over the past few months that CRIA's position on several important music industry issues are not aligned with our best interests as independent recording companies," the six companies wrote in a letter to CRIA President Graham Henderson.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is reviewing its commercial radio policy. Current rules impose a 35 percent quota of Canadian content on commercial radio. The system also ranks songs based on where they were composed and recorded, and whether they were performed by a domestic artist.
CRIA has suggested changing the system to reflect a more international approach to music recording. The proposal would give more weight to whether the song was performed by a Canadian, and less to where it was produced.
"We do not feel that we can remain members given CRIA's decision to advocate solely on behalf of the four major foreign, multinational labels," the letter said.
The independent labels include Anthem Records, Aquarius Records, the Children's Group, Linus Entertainment, Nettwerk Records and True North Records. Artists represented by Nettwerk Records include the Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne and Sarah McLachlan.
Chinese Company Reaffirms Global Commitment
The Lenovo Group, which purchased IBM's personal-computing group, on Monday announced that the China-based company would purchase more than $1.2 billion worth of Microsoft's computer-operating system software over the upcoming year.
Lenovo said it will pre-install Microsoft's software on PCs sold in more than 65 nations and regions. The two companies also announced joint cooperation to promote the use of legitimate software products via joint marketing, sales and training programs in China.
"By taking the lead in providing genuine value-added software on PCs in China, Lenovo is demonstrating foresight and wisdom as a responsible global industry leader," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said in a statement.
In an effort to reduce widespread piracy, the Chinese government last week announced that it will require computer manufacturers to ship products pre-loaded with legitimate copies of operating-system software. Last November, Lenovo became the first PC manufacturer in China to pre-install legitimate Microsoft Windows software on all of its product lines in the Chinese market.
Push For Open Documents Gains Momentum
The OpenDocument Format Alliance on Tuesday announced that its membership has tripled since its inception in March.
More than 138 members in 30 countries have endorsed the initiative, which seeks to promote an "open source" format to enable easy retrieval and sharing of information without regard to original document formats. The code for open-source software can be viewed and altered.
The alliance was established to help governments and their constituents exchange critical records and documents in the future. "All of our supporters know that ODF represents a better way for all governments to preserve, access and better control their documents," Ken Wasch, president of the Software and Information Industry Association and an alliance member, said in a statement.
Members include the Bristol City Council in the United Kingdom, the Indian Institute of Technology and the National Archives of Australia.
E-Passports Pass International Test
The Homeland Security Department on Tuesday announced that it completed a three-month test of biometrically enabled passports in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. A total of 1,938 e-passports were processed between Jan. 15 and April 15 at the San Francisco International Airport.
The department is testing e-passports and e-passport readers in advance of its Oct. 26 deadline for requiring visitors from certain countries to present such passports to enter the United States. Under the new rules, visitors from countries that do not have to obtain visas instead will have to obtain e-passports. To date, 27 countries are in the U.S. visa-waiver program.
The e-passports contain personal biographic information and digital photographs on "contact-less" chips, which the department says contain security protections to prevent the unauthorized reading of information.
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