AfterDawn: News

EU ponders single market for online music and video

This year, the European Commission will make proposals for the creation of a single European market for online multimedia services that sell music, video and games content. As part of the objective, the Commission must make proposals on how to tackle illegal downloads, which have prevented many content providers from offering multimedia for online consumption.

"Europe's content sector is suffering under its regulatory fragmentation, under its lack of clear, consumer-friendly rules for accessing copyright-protected online content and serious disagreements between stakeholders about fundamental issues such as levies and private copying," EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said.



A spokesman said that legislation is not the aim of the move. "At the moment we are at the beginning of the process," he said. While EICTA welcomed the move, it questioned whether the Executive's decision to make a non-binding recommendation on the steps to be taken was the right approach as opposed to just going straight for legislation.

"It means you are not going to see any really meaningful changes for consumers for at least a couple of years," EICTA Director General Mark MacGann told Reuters. "It may be too little, too late." The European Commission expects the market for Internet downloads to grow from from €1.8 billion in 2005 to €8.3 billion in 2010.

Source:
Yahoo (Reuters)

Written by: James Delahunty @ 4 Jan 2008 17:31

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• 4 comments

• tripplite

  i smell communism!!!!!!!, well it's been a while i think ww3 in in order

  5.1.2008 12:59 #1

• seagrave

  One standardized market? If done intelligently... GO FOR IT!!!
  
  We in the US are deluded into thinking that competition is a panacea because we focus on market prices and not how pointless competition limits our choices and costs us more.
  
  For instance we have numerous music services that cherry pick the popular tunes but none really is the definitive market for all music. About 50% of what I wanted was never available at iTunes. One other song I found at Real. But now I was trapped in two proprietary DRM schemes. So what it I wanted a song only available on a third or fourth music service? THIS IS INSANITY.
  
  This pointless competition only serves the interests of corporations not consumers. I’d prefer one definitive music service that charges a fair price for non-DRM music than numerous inferior services whose only point is to trap consumers into their proprietary DRM while never offering the best music library. Europe is so far ahead of the US because it hasn’t bought the “free market” kool-aid that too many in the US have.

  6.1.2008 00:01 #2

• Shegax

  Wow and your a senior member too! Can't you tell the difference between socialism, and communism? I'm not going to get on you too bad though, since Americans aren't taught the difference between the two. Capitalism isn't much better.

  6.1.2008 01:06 #3

• borhan9

  I actually like this and find that if done in the right manner then it will succeed.

  7.1.2008 04:58 #4