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Press ReleaseStrasbourg, 17 January 2006
Media Regulation in the Interest of the AudienceThe European Audiovisual Observatory has just published its latest IRIS plus Collection entitled:Media Regulation in the Interest of the Audience |
Information on other IRIS
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to IRIS Merlin legal database http://merlin.obs.coe.int |
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This newest publication from the Strasbourg-based Observatory is a collection of 5 reports, published separately as the IRIS plus supplement to the Observatory's monthly IRIS legal newsletter. The common thread running through each of these five articles is the direct bearing of media legislation on the rights and interests of the audience or consumer of the various audiovisual media.
The first report deals with the legislation which guarantees the citizen's access to information on state activities. This freedom to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority is enshrined in Article 10 ECHR. It is also ensured by the fact that the media themselves may enjoy privileged access to information on state activities and can therefore broadcast this information to their audience.
Advertising legislation in the countries that once belonged to the former USSR is the subject of the second report. Television and the electronic media use their audience as a source of income by selling advertising slots, the price of which is based on the size of the respective audience. It is clear, then, that regulation is necessary to stipulate how, when, how often and under what conditions the media may direct advertising at its audience. But what of countries where the concept of this necessity is a relatively recent one? This report focuses on the way in which advertising legislation has evolved under the changing political regimes within the different countries that once belonged to the former USSR.
The third report in this collection deals with advertising legislation in the electronic media. Whether one considers radio, television or indeed the Internet, it is clear that the electronic media have become a major way of relaying advertising information to potential consumers. This third report therefore looks at the different European regulations which structure the way in which advertising can be relayed via the electronic media.
Access to information is not only made possible through legislation, but also through technical means. The fourth report in this collection therefore looks at the whole range of technical devices known as Digital Rights Management Systems (DRMS) which allow or restrict access to content such as music or films. It is clear that the use of such technical protection measures when applied to electronic content can bring into conflict the interests of rightsholders and the interests of content consumers. This report looks at the controversial questions arising from such possible conflict.
The final report in this collection examines the interest of citizens in receiving cultural content, much of which is made financially possible through state funding. Counterbalancing this principle is the equal interest of the consumer in benefiting from free and undistorted competition within the market. How is the attribution of state aid to such audiovisual content affected by the boundaries of EC competition law? This report focuses on the conditions under which audiovisual content may be produced using state aid and also analyses the cases in which EC competition law forbids such subsidies.
A fascinating and comprehensive legal analysis of the ways in which current European and national media regulations protect our rights as European citizens and consumers.
IRIS plus Collection, 2005 Edition,
"Media Regulation in the Interest of the Audience", 52 pages, ISBN
92-871-5917-3, EUR 28,50
European Audiovisual Observatory, Strasbourg, 2005.
For further press information or a free press copy for
review (only journalists), please contact:
To take out a subscription to our IRIS monthly legal review with it's IRIS plus supplement, please contact:
For further information on the content of our IRIS products, please contact our legal department:
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The European Audiovisual Observatory
Set up in December 1992, the European Audiovisual Observatory's goal is to gather and distribute information on the audiovisual industry in Europe. The Observatory is a European public service body comprised of 37 member states and the European Union, represented by the European Commission. It operates as a partial agreement of the Council of Europe and works alongside a number of partner and professional organisations from within the industry, together with a Europe-wide network of correspondents. In addition to contributions to conferences, other major activities are the publication of a Yearbook, a newsletter and reports, the management of the LUMIERE, KORDA and IRIS MERLIN databases, and the provision of information through the Observatory's Internet site.