As trailed earlier in 2017, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated a draft ‘Restoring Internet Freedom Order’ to his fellow Commissioners, which will be voted on at the FCC’s Open Meeting on December 14th, suggesting it will restore Internet freedom and eliminate heavy-handed sector regulation, effectively reversing predecessor Tom Wheeler’s ‘Open Internet’ policy designed to ensure […]
UTECA, the largest private TV Association in Spain, has accused the Administration of discrimination against FTA TV to the benefit of pay-TV and new OTT platforms. The president of UTECA, Alejandro Echevarría, has urged the Government to put an end to the “favourable treatment” of pay-TV operators and demanded “legal changes” to make the new […]
An International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling has confirmed that Comcast “violated” two TiVo Patents. The decision says that Comcast’s infringements occurred on patents owned by Rovi Corp, now part of TiVo. The ITC decision means that Comcast’s highly-specified X1 set-top boxes are now banned from being imported. TiVo’s share price rose 12 per cent in […]
China’s Internet, broadband and gaming company Tencent’s stock market value has topped Facebook, and has become the first Chinese business to break through the $500 billion mark. On November 21st its value stood at a massive $531 billion (HK$4.15 trillion). Tencent, in the process, has become one of the five most-valuable companies on the planet, […]
Tele Columbus, Germany’s third largest cable operator, has published its financials for the third quarter of fiscal year 2017. Revenues grow by 4.3 per cent YoY to €123.3 million in the quarter. The Group again reported growth amongst its Internet RGUs which increased by 15k quarter on quarter to a total of 564k per September […]
Trade body Cable Europe has levelled criticism at the European Parliament following a vote on the Copyright Regulation taken in the JURI Committee. The vote effectively excludes some technological platforms such as mobile and the Internet from the scope of the retransmission framework – a move which the industry body describes as “out of step” […]
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block AT&T/DirecTV’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner, suggesting that the $85.4 billion (€78.5bn) deal would substantially lessen competition, resulting in higher prices and less innovation for millions of Americans. According to the complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court […]
Following successful legal action taken by Sky, pub licensee Robert Stewart of the Village Inn in Edinburgh has been found in contempt of court and in breach of interdict for infringing Sky’s copyright and showing Sky Sports programming in the premises on a second occasion, without a commercial contract with Sky. The ruling follows an […]
The UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has issued guidance on illicit streaming devices (ISDs) aimed at helping consumers understand why so called ‘Kodi’ and other illegal IPTV set-top boxes and sticks should be avoided. It tables five frequently asked questions, setting out its advice as follows: What is ‘illicit streaming’ and what devices are commonly used? […]
In the aftermath of the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News, 21st Century Fox has made a settlement with a shareholder that is intended to overhaul the workplace culture at the network. The agreement means the creation of a new oversight panel — the Fox News Workplace Professionalism and Inclusion Council — comprising two human […]