Category: Cable & Satellite

The few consumers who have replied (de) to these questions tend to consider that the extension of the regime to the simultaneous retransmission of TV and radio programmes on platforms other than cable is likely to increase the cross-border accessibility of online services. They also tend to oppose maintaining the different treatment of rights held by broadcasting organisations. Member States/public authorities, but also right holders, CMOs and broadcasters, recall that voluntary collective management, extended collective licensing and individual licensing are all used to clear rights relevant for the different new TV and radio transmission and re-transmission methods and services. In this respect some Member States argue that voluntary approaches lead to legal uncertainty since service providers cannot be sure that they have cleared all the rights or that the distinction between transmission and retransmission is not always clear.

First, respondents were asked about the existing rules applicable to clearance of copyright and related rights for the simultaneous cable retransmission. Second, respondents were asked about the impact of a possible extension of the mandatory collective management regime to different forms of online simultaneous retransmissions.