Ofcom has recommended that public service media (PSM) should be prominent on third-party websites and applications such as YouTube. PSM companies’ video on-demand players account for just 9% of all viewership, significantly less than subscription streaming services (15%) and video-sharing platforms (19%). To address the challenges for PSM, Ofcom has set out the following six-point…

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The IPO is consulting on potential measures to address challenges in the UK’s Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) ecosystem. A patent that protects technology which is essential to implementing a technical standard (such as 5G) is known as a Standard Essential Patent (SEP). However, there are well-known problems within the UK’s SEP ecosystem that may create…

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The Product Regulation and Metrology Act has received Royal Assent.  Among other things, it aims to boost powers to tackle unsafe products which are sold online. The Act includes measures to hold online marketplaces to account. One example of the safety concerns it aims to resolve concerns fires caused by lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes….

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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its annual report for 2024-25 setting outs its achievements and activities in the past year.  The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act) has largely come into force, giving the CMA new powers to regulate digital markets as well as competition and consumer laws which…

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The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published its annual report for 2024-25. The ICO commits to four “enduring strategic objectives”: safeguarding and empowering consumers, responsible innovation and sustainable economic growth, promoting openness, transparency and accountability, and being held to account for enforcing the legislation it oversees. The ICO oversees a wide variety of legislation including…

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The Advocate General has delivered an Opinion in Case C-797/23 | Meta Platforms Ireland on fair compensation. The Advocate General commented that the digital revolution has greatly disrupted the media industry, especially print media. Changing user habits, the rise of online press review services, and competition from new digital channels have significantly reduced publishers’ revenues,…

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The European Commission has launched the process to adopt new adequacy decisions to allow the free flow of personal data between the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. Following its assessment of the recently adopted UK Data Use and Access Act, the Commission has concluded that the UK’s legal framework continues to provide data…

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Hot on the heels of the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice, the European Commission has now published its guidance for general purpose AI models. The guidance clarifies the scope of the obligations for providers of general-purpose AI models under the AI Act. The timeline for the obligations is set out below. The guidance defines general-purpose…

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