Meeting of regulatory agencies from the region regarding the protection of copyright in cable broadcasting systems

At the initiative of the Republic Broadcasting Agency, the second meeting of regulatory agencies from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia was held, entitled “Regulation of Cable Broadcasting: Experience and Prospects”.

The participants of the meeting concluded that the protection of copyright and related rights was a joint obligation of all regulatory agencies in the region. They agreed that the regulatory bodies, in line with their respective authorisations and powers, would supervise the application and respect of copyright and related rights of TV programmes broadcast through cable distribution systems.

The meeting of the representatives of regulatory agencies consisted of two working parts.

The first part was dedicated to the legal framework for cable TV broadcasting, with the following subjects: Authority and powers of regulatory bodies in regulating TV programmes in cable distribution systems; Application of and compliance with the advertising rules by foreign cable TV channels; Experience of the countries in the region regarding the application of the must carry obligation for certain programmes.

The second part of the meeting was dedicated to the protection of copyright and related rights by cable TV operators, with the following subjects: Cable operators in the role of audio-visual content providers; Cooperation of regulatory bodies in carrying out supervision of the respect of copyright and related rights (rebroadcasting right, exclusive rights, screen dimming...).

All participants of the meeting were of the opinion that this type of cooperation should become standard practice, given the large number of issues they all share in their work.

In Belgrade,

28 September 2012