Re: Cameron Seeks Strict Porn Curbs
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 11:25 am
one eyed jack wrote:
> Except the definition of "television like" Seems anything
> filmed except short clips of under 2 minutes can be defined as
> such
>
> It seems OFCOM are not always in concert with ATVOD
Yes OEJ the definition of "television like" is being interpreted very widely and that is the principal issue because Ofcom has the power to regulate television providers, it has no power to regulate website owners unless it categorises them as "television like."
Parliament has not debated nor passed any law which requires that you may not publish or access anything on the internet without applying to the Government Censor. But look at the the regulations here. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010 ... e/data.pdf
Substitute the word "website" for the words "on-demand programme service" and you will see just how draconian these provisions are.
" A person must not build a website unless, before beginning, that person has given a notification to the appropriate regulatory authority of the person?s intention to build a website."
Don't either be confused by the apparent separation between Atvod and Ofcom. Atvod only exists as a part of Ofcom. Ofcom's determinations of so called appeals from Atvod are all very interesting, but they do not amount to anything but a regulator's determination themselves. Ofcom has disagreed with Atvod several times but Ofcom is not an impartial tribunal. Atvod treats these decisions like they amounted to judicial case law, but they are nothing of the sort.
The solution if you aren't a television company and are being harassed by Atvod is to seek Judicial Revue. I would look carefully at the Audiovisual Media Services Directive of the EU which is the prompt for these regulations.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex ... 045:EN:PDF
The Directive was aimed at providing common regulation of television across borders within the EU. It's aim was not regulation of on-line porn on the internet.
Here are recitals 16 and 17 of the Directive if they don't apply to you you ought not to be subject to Ofcom/Atvod regulation. For instance, would a casual user of the internet that stumbled across your site have a reasonable expectation of regulatory protection?
(16) For the purposes of this Directive, the definition of an
audiovisual media service should cover only audiovisual
media services, whether television broadcasting or on-
demand, which are mass media, that is, which are
intended for reception by, and which could have a
clear impact on, a significant proportion of the general
public. Its scope should be limited to services as defined
by the Treaty and therefore should cover any form of
economic activity, including that of public service enter-
prises, but should not cover activities which are primarily
non-economic and which are not in competition with
television broadcasting, such as private websites and
services consisting of the provision or distribution of
audiovisual content generated by private users for the
purposes of sharing and exchange within communities
of interest.
(17) It is characteristic of on-demand audiovisual media
services that they are ?television-like?, i.e. that they
compete for the same audience as television broadcasts,
and the nature and the means of access to the service
would lead the user reasonably to expect regulatory
protection within the scope of this Directive. In the
light of this and in order to prevent disparities as
regards free movement and competition, the notion of
?programme? should be interpreted in a dynamic way
taking into account developments in television broad-
casting.
> Except the definition of "television like" Seems anything
> filmed except short clips of under 2 minutes can be defined as
> such
>
> It seems OFCOM are not always in concert with ATVOD
Yes OEJ the definition of "television like" is being interpreted very widely and that is the principal issue because Ofcom has the power to regulate television providers, it has no power to regulate website owners unless it categorises them as "television like."
Parliament has not debated nor passed any law which requires that you may not publish or access anything on the internet without applying to the Government Censor. But look at the the regulations here. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010 ... e/data.pdf
Substitute the word "website" for the words "on-demand programme service" and you will see just how draconian these provisions are.
" A person must not build a website unless, before beginning, that person has given a notification to the appropriate regulatory authority of the person?s intention to build a website."
Don't either be confused by the apparent separation between Atvod and Ofcom. Atvod only exists as a part of Ofcom. Ofcom's determinations of so called appeals from Atvod are all very interesting, but they do not amount to anything but a regulator's determination themselves. Ofcom has disagreed with Atvod several times but Ofcom is not an impartial tribunal. Atvod treats these decisions like they amounted to judicial case law, but they are nothing of the sort.
The solution if you aren't a television company and are being harassed by Atvod is to seek Judicial Revue. I would look carefully at the Audiovisual Media Services Directive of the EU which is the prompt for these regulations.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex ... 045:EN:PDF
The Directive was aimed at providing common regulation of television across borders within the EU. It's aim was not regulation of on-line porn on the internet.
Here are recitals 16 and 17 of the Directive if they don't apply to you you ought not to be subject to Ofcom/Atvod regulation. For instance, would a casual user of the internet that stumbled across your site have a reasonable expectation of regulatory protection?
(16) For the purposes of this Directive, the definition of an
audiovisual media service should cover only audiovisual
media services, whether television broadcasting or on-
demand, which are mass media, that is, which are
intended for reception by, and which could have a
clear impact on, a significant proportion of the general
public. Its scope should be limited to services as defined
by the Treaty and therefore should cover any form of
economic activity, including that of public service enter-
prises, but should not cover activities which are primarily
non-economic and which are not in competition with
television broadcasting, such as private websites and
services consisting of the provision or distribution of
audiovisual content generated by private users for the
purposes of sharing and exchange within communities
of interest.
(17) It is characteristic of on-demand audiovisual media
services that they are ?television-like?, i.e. that they
compete for the same audience as television broadcasts,
and the nature and the means of access to the service
would lead the user reasonably to expect regulatory
protection within the scope of this Directive. In the
light of this and in order to prevent disparities as
regards free movement and competition, the notion of
?programme? should be interpreted in a dynamic way
taking into account developments in television broad-
casting.