Movie download deal hangs in balance

Date: 23/02/06

The commitment of European industry to making more films available for downloading legally was hanging in the balance after talks between filmmakers and internet access providers on a European Charter for online film.

If agreement is not reached between now and the Cannes Film Festival in May, the European Commission will force the issue by proposing legislation in the autumn.

"It's really 50-50 whether an agreement can be reached," said one source close to the negotiations in Vienna this week. "The telecom companies are leading the debate and it's difficult for the content industry to swallow."

The key sticking point is whether it becomes compulsory for filmmakers to license movies for downloading.

Telecom companies and internet providers want to gain access to all film catalogues, while the film industry thinks that rights should be licensed on an exclusive and non-compulsory basis.

Article reports on the negotiations between representatives of the telecoms sector and of the film industry on rules for downloading of films from the Internet.