Dow Jones reports that production companies and broadband infrastructure providers agreed on rules to jumpstart online distribution of films, the European Commission said.
The "European Charter for Film Online" was signed at the Cannes Film Festival. Commission officials said its was the first of its kind in the world and ended a standoff between the makers and distributors of films over anti-piracy measures.
We hope this is the end the problem that has been plaguing the industry - producers didn't want to put their films online fearing that they were going to be stolen," said Martin Selmayr, a Commission spokesman. "This represents the first steps to work jointly to fight piracy."
According to Selmayr, the Commission now will support a pan-European license for online film distribution. In this way, companies won't have to ask for 25 separate licences, one for each E.U. member. Under the agreement, infrastructure makers agreed to put the new releases online only when they are released as DVDs. Producers agreed to recognize " peer-to-peer technology," often used for unauthorized copying "as positive development for the legitimate online distribution of properly secured content."
The "European Charter for Film Online" was signed at the Cannes Film Festival. Commission officials said its was the first of its kind in the world and ended a standoff between the makers and distributors of films over anti-piracy measures.
We hope this is the end the problem that has been plaguing the industry - producers didn't want to put their films online fearing that they were going to be stolen," said Martin Selmayr, a Commission spokesman. "This represents the first steps to work jointly to fight piracy."
According to Selmayr, the Commission now will support a pan-European license for online film distribution. In this way, companies won't have to ask for 25 separate licences, one for each E.U. member. Under the agreement, infrastructure makers agreed to put the new releases online only when they are released as DVDs. Producers agreed to recognize " peer-to-peer technology," often used for unauthorized copying "as positive development for the legitimate online distribution of properly secured content."