Translated Summaries

In The Journal of Regulation the summaries’ translation are done by the Editors and not by the authors

ENGLISH

On July 28, 2011, the European Court of Justice rejected an appeal by an Italian digital terrestrial broadcaster against a ruling of the European General Court, which had also rejected an appeal against the European Commission’s condemnation of Italy for having subsidized the purchase or rental by consumers of equipment for the reception of digital terrestrial television broadcast signals, since this was an indirect provision of state aid to the broadcasters.

 

FRENCH

Le 28 juillet 2011, la Cour de Justice de l’Union Européenne a rejeté un appel interjeté par un radiodiffuseur italienne numérique terrestre contre une décision de la Cour européenne de première instance, qui avait également rejeté un recours contre la condamnation prononcée par la Commission européenne de l’Italie pour avoir subventionné l’achat ou la location par le consommateurs d’équipements pour la réception de télévision numérique terrestre des signaux de télédiffusion, puisque ce fut une prestation indirecte, constitutive d’aides d’Etat au bénéfice des radiodiffuseurs.

 

SPANISH

El 28 de julio de 2011, el Tribunal Europeo de Justicia rechazó una apelación de un emisor italiano digital terrestre contra una resolución del Parlamento Europeo y del Tribunal General, que había rechazado también un recurso de apelación contra la condena de la Comisión Europea de Italia por haber subvencionado la compra o el alquiler de los consumidores de los equipos para la recepción de señales digitales terrestres de televisión, ya que esta era una disposición indirecta de las ayudas estatales a las emisoras.

DEUTSCH

Am 28. Juli 2011 hat der Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union eine Beschwerde von einem italienischen digitalen terrestrischen Sender zurückgewiesen gegen eine Entscheidung des Europäischen Gerichts Erster Instanz, die auch abgelehnt hatte Einspruch gegen der Überzeugung, in der Europäischen Kommission Italien nach dem Kauf oder Leasing von der Consumer-Geräten zum digitalen terrestrischen Fernsehsignale empfangen subventioniert haben, da es ein indirekter Nutzen war, um eine staatliche Beihilfe für Broadcaster.

ITALIAN

Il 28 luglio 2011, la Corte di Giustizia Europea ha respinto un appello di emittente italiana di digitale terrestre promosso contro una decisione della Corte generale europea. Anche tale Corte aveva respinto l’appello promosso contro la decisione della condanna dello Stato italiano per aver sovvenzionato l’acquisto o l’affitto da parte dei consumatori di un decoder, in quanto costituirebbe un aiuto statale indiretto alle emittenti.

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Other translations forthcoming.

The "Conseil constitutionnel" (French Constitutional Council), on the occasion of the control of the "Loi de finance rectificative" (amending finance law) adopted, may make rules relating to the regulation. Thus, a Senate amendment had slipped into legislation a tax of 5% on the resale of a television channel, when it had been obtained by the purchaser on account of the assignment for the benefit of a licence conferred by the State free of charge. The provision is considered non-compliant with the Constitution in that it does not have enough in connection with the organization of the finances of the State and that it pursues another goal: here to avoid that an operator plays with the mechanisms of regulation for purely financial purposes. This struggle by the Council against the "legislative cavaliers" didn’t mean that a measure of this type is later taken by a law, since such concern can be justified.

The regulator of telecommunications of the Venezuala also controls the television channels. In October 2011, it heavily punished by a fine Globovision channel for how it had reported mutiny. The company has not paid the fine. Seized by the regulator, the Supreme Court of justice ordered the freeze of assets of the company for $ 5.6 million as long as execution would not be made. The following day, June 29, 2012, the fine was paid. It is not sure that democracy has its account.

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission had sanctioned for "indecency" two non-cabled television channels ABC and Fox, to have shown a woman entering back in the shower and let a singer say a rude word in a live broadcast. On appeal, the sanction was set aside by the federal judge. The regulator applies to the Supreme Court of the United States, which declared the case admissible and proceeds with the case, in a judgment of June 21, 2012. It dismisses the appeal of the regulator.It considers indeed that the regulator cannot punish channels in application of too-vague criteria of "indecency", as chains should know to what they expose themselves to the point where they act; otherwise punishment is contrary to the Constitution. This is a transposition of the legality of offences and penalties. The Court prefers to put the analysis on this field, repressive, and not the addressed by it, of the freedom of expression.

On April 10, 2012, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Mr Corrado Passera, declared that the frequencies of digital terrestrial television (DTT) have a significant economic value and that it is not fair that the State, which owns it, gives them for nothing. This is why Mr Corrado Passera will implement the policy decision announced by the Council President, Mario Monti, who want to organise auctions to sell these frequencies to the highest bidder. "The auctioning will be made by frequency packages". The model of auctioning will be the same as that followed for the 4th generation mobile phone frequencies. In France, the frequencies are sold in telephony, but not in audiovisual material.

The French Act of 1 February 2012 "to strengthen the ethics of sport and sports rights" has sought to resolve the issue of the use of short excerpts from sports other than broadcast rights holders. Prior to this, only a code of conduct existed, the uncertainty remaining, and also about the dimension of the extract and the support of the extract. The Act is now related to the extract in any medium, including the Internet, and gives the power to establish specific rules to the Conseil Supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA)- (French audiovisual regulatory). Furthermore, the Act of May 17, 2011 has extended the right to free diffusion in any event a great interest to the public. The Conseil Supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) – (French audiovisual regulatory) has opened on April 4, 2012, a public consultation. It will be closed on 18 May.

The press and television Murdoch group is sued for getting information in an illicit manner, by violating the privacy of personalities, having established connections within the police in order to be informed, etc. Concerning, the television media, activity can be practised because of the prior allocation of a broadcasting license by the regulator. However, the British regulator Ofcom, said April 24, 2012 that he was studying the question of whether the operator could maintain its license in view of the findings made during the parliamentary investigation establishing phone tapping fixed by it.