Friday, 28th August 2009

C4 and BBC have 'signed content deals with Arqiva'
Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide have signed deals to allow certain parts of their content appear on Arqiva’s new video-on-demand service, according to industry sources.

Source: Telegraph

Friday, 28th August 2009

The spider and the web
Article that looks at the latest effort to cut copyright theft, saying it’s a step in the right direction.

Source: Economist

Thursday, 27th August 2009

The Pirate Party UK and a new frontier for filesharing
As the government rethinks penalties for illegal downloaders, the new political party, The Pirate Party UK, is campaigning for laws to keep pace with technology. This article features an interview with the party’s leader, Andrew Robinson.

Source: The Guardian

Thursday, 27th August 2009

Superfast broadband demand to outstrip Digital Britain funds
Government plans to help fund rollout of fibre-optic broadband are likely to fall far short of the forecast growth for demand for the technology, according to research. Analyst research suggests £12m pot is "pretty weak" compared with the scale of the challenge.

Source: Computing.co.uk

Wednesday, 26th August 2009

Lobbying leads to harder stance on illegal downloading
Lord Mandelson yesterday hardened the government's attack on illegal downloading with the Government proposing to cut the broadband connection from users who swap copyrighted content. The move came after lobbying by the film and music industry over concerns that the digital economy bill provides an in-sufficient deterrent.

Source: FT

Wednesday, 26th August 2009

What would the end of The Pirate Bay mean for file sharing?
Article that looks at the uncertain future of The Pirate Bay website and what that means to the world of filesharing.

Source: The Independent

Tuesday, 25th August 2009

Internet cut-off threat for illegal downloaders
People who persist in illegally downloading will have their internet connections cut off under tough new laws to be proposed by the government today. Illegal filesharers will still get warning letters but if they continue to swap copyrighted material they could have their internet connection temporarily severed.

Source: The Guardian

Tuesday, 25th August 2009

ITV 'weeks away' from content deal with Hulu
ITV is 'weeks away' from signing a deal with Hulu, the US-based web TV service, to syndicate its content in exchange for equity in the company. Hulu is now not expected to launch in the UK until 2010.

Source: Telegraph

Monday, 24th August 2009

Indie film producers face struggle for funds
Independent film production companies in the UK are struggling to keep going as traditional sources of funding remain weak with investors shunning risk. In the past 18 months almost 60 film production companies have become insolvent in the UK, according to a report by PwC.

Source: FT

Friday, 21th August 2009

The battle for the future of the web
Article that looks at the various measures that are being thrashed out to tackle the challenges of making money from entertainment in the digital age.

Source: Telegraph

Friday, 21th August 2009

BBC archived shows made available via Blinkbox
Blinkbox is the latest player to join the race to become the UK’s favourite web TV service, by signing a 300-hour content deal with BBC Worldwide.

Source: Telegraph

Friday, 21th August 2009

Leona Lewis ‘Don’t let me down’ is leaked on the internet
The BBC report that X Factor winner, Leona Lewis’s unreleased single with Justin Timberlake was leaked online.

Source: BBC News

Thursday, 20th August 2009

Anti-copyright theft debate heads for Labour Party conference
The campaign to stop illegal file-sharing goes to the Labour Party conference next month, where a panel representing both sides of the industry will join Sion Simon, DCMS under-secretary of state for the creative industries, to discuss options for addressing this critical issue.

Source: Bectu

Thursday, 20th August 2009

Twitter Effect rattles Hollywood
While word of mouth could always make or break a movie, it usually took days to affect the box office. But the rise of social networking tools like Twitter  may be narrowing that time frame to mere hours. And that has Hollywood on edge.

Source: The Baltimore Sun

Wednesday, 19th August 2009

Hollywood jumps aboard revamped PlayStation
The new PS3 console can be used to download and watch the latest film from the internet, following a deal struck with Hollywood studios.

Source: Daily Mail

Tuesday, 18th August 2009

Copyright theft debate
Tech blogger Tim Bradshaw looks at the debate over what to do with those caught illegally downloading. It seems what little consensus there was between labels and ISPs is falling away, so the row is set to intensify before the government's consultation ends next month.

Source: FT

Monday, 17th August 2009

Mandelson targets illegal downloaders
Millions of parents whose teenage children illegally download face having their internet connection cut off and fines of up to £50,000, in a new move being pushed by Lord Mandelson.

Source: Telegraph

Monday, 17th August 2009

Microsoft's Ashley Highfield: 'We must face piracy head on'
Microsoft UK's managing director of consumer and online talks of the importance of tackling copyright theft and that “we have to protect IP for the health of our economy.”

Source: The Guardian

Friday, 14th August 2009

Pirate Party launches UK poll bid
The Pirate Party, which campaigns to legalise non-commercial internet file-sharing, plans to contest the next UK general election, after becoming an officially registered party in the UK on 30 June.

Source: BBC News

Friday, 14th August 2009

Buying pirate DVDs can benefit 'slave trade'
More than a fifth of Britons may be unknowingly contributing to child trafficking, a survey published today reveals.

Source: The Guardian

Thursday, 13th August 2009

Should you download or buy your friend's DVD?
Readers’ views on the dilemma of whether to illegally download or buy your friend’s DVD

Source: The Guardian

Wednesday, 12th August 2009

Pirate Bay leads Swedish Viking charge on paid content
Leading the fight for radical copyright legal reform are two radical Swedish organisations – The Pirate Party, now Sweden’s third largest political party, and the free peer-to-peer music download website, Pirate Bay. Both these organisations are pioneering an increasingly central populist issue in the early 21st century: the right of consumers to freely share creative content on the Internet.

Source: Telegraph

Wednesday, 12th August 2009

Judge rules that DVD copying software is illegal
American software company RealNetworks has been banned from selling a program that lets people make copies of their DVDs, in a US court decision that could have far-reaching implications.

Source: The Guardian

Tuesday, 11th August 2009

Downloading dips among young fans
A survey by UK Music suggests there has been a slight drop - from 63% last year to 61% this year - in the number of young people illegally downloading music.

Source: BBC News

Tuesday, 11th August 2009

Faster broadband won't increase online TV viewing habits
Faster broadband connections will not boost most people’s online TV viewing, despite government pressure to roll out speedier networks by 2012, according to new research.

Source: Telegraph

Monday, 10th August 2009

Young people ignoring attempts to combat illegal music downloading
Research released today shows that attempts to combat file sharing have failed to reduce the number of young people illegally swapping music over the internet.

Source: Times Online

Monday, 10th August 2009

ScreenDaily survey reveals uncertainty over tackling piracy
The survey found that almost 90% of respondents believe that the industry is not doing enough to encourage legal access and payment for firms.

Source: ScreenDaily

Friday, 7th August 2009

Swedish crackdown on piracy leads to fall in illegal filesharing
Sweden's tough new anti-piracy law has led to a sharp drop in illegal downloading but critics say the effects will be short-lived.

Source: Physorg

Thursday, 6th August 2009

Britons willing to pay for enhanced media services
Britain's recession-hit consumers would rather cut back on eating out and holidays than give up their broadband, mobile phone and pay-TV services.

Source: Times

Thursday, 6th August 2009

Treasury minister Stephen Timms set to lead Digital Britain
Treasury minister Stephen Timms is replacing Lord Stephen Carter as UK communications minister and will be responsible for keeping the Digital Britain Report on track.

Source: Screen Daily

Wednesday, 5th August 2009

The FDA has launched new cinema adverts
The FDA has launched new cinema adverts, featuring Martin Freeman, Jaime Winstone and James Horne, thanking audiences and appealing for their help in combating film theft. The 20 second adverts will play immediately before the BBFC certificate from Friday 7 August.

Source: Cinema Business

Wednesday, 5th August 2009

British man arrested for role in running FileSoup file sharing website
The Guardian today features an article about the arrest of a British man for his role in the running of File Soup.

Source: The Guardian

Wednesday, 5th August 2009

Next step for Netflix
In the Guardian Technology Blog, they have also referenced the US movie rental company Netflix – who have announced their deals to stream video instantly using its web service, and alluded that they may be on the verge of bringing full on-demand video streaming to the iPhone and Nintendo Wii.

Source: The Guardian

Tuesday, 4th August 2009

The Guardian Technology blog has reported that Peter Sunde...
The Pirates Bay’s main spokesperson has stepped down from his role in the limelight citing the need to spend more time on other projects as his reason. Thirty year old Peter Sunde - known online as "brokep" - announced in a blog post that he was leaving the role, after a tumultuous period for the Swedish file sharing site.

Source: The Guardian

Tuesday, 4th August 2009

Swedish crackdown on piracy pays off
This article from France24 follows up on Sweden’s anti piracy law and the impact it has had.

Source: France24