The European Union Regulation on suppliers of content has come into force starting April 1, the website of the European Commission informs.
The aim is to ensure that Europeans who buy or subscribe to films, sports broadcasts, music, e-books and games in their home Member State are able to access this content when they travel or stay temporarily in another EU country. The release, posted on March 27, announced that the Regulation is to come into force on 1 April 2018 in all EU Member States.
The beneficiaries will be the consumers who reside in the EU: new rules enable them to watch films or sporting events, listen to music, download e-books or play games – when visiting or staying temporarily in other EU countries. Beneficiaries will also be the providers of online content services: they will be able to provide cross-border portability of online content to their subscribers without having to acquire licences for other territories where the subscribers stay temporarily. The interests of right holders are safeguarded to avoid abuses, the release also points out.
“Providers of paid-for online content services (such as online movie, TV or music streaming services) have to provide their subscribers with the same service wherever the subscriber is in the EU. The service needs to be provided in the same way in other Member States, as in the Member State of residence. So for Netflix for example, you will have access to the same selection (or catalogue) anywhere in the EU, if you are temporarily abroad, just as if you were at home. The new rules do not prevent service providers to offer additional options to their users when they are abroad, such as access to the content which is available in the country they travel in. Whether the service provider in question will allow or maintain access to the local content in addition to their obligation under the regulation will therefore depend entirely on the service provider,” the release informs.
Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, welcomes the regulation
Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, has welcomed the coming into force, starting April 1, of the new regulation on portability.
“The new regulation opens new opportunities for the citizens and, concomitantly, protects the creators of content. We salute these new measures, which increase the European digital single market and ensure the mobility for the subscribers. For example, from now on, all Romanians subscribed to the online platforms of Romanian TV stations will be able to watch the content when they leave abroad for a short period of time. Furthermore, the tourists and Romanians coming from Diaspora on vacation in Romania will be able to watch the online platforms to which they are subscribed,” Victor Negrescu said.