Post by rubl on Mar 26, 2016 1:11:39 GMT 7
Well, they could. Wonder if this means the BBC will suddenly be more in favour of Brexit?
"'Contractual barriers' behind geo-blocking could breach EU rules
Real talk: What does this mean for our Netflix subscriptions?
Consumers are partly prevented from accessing online services and content across the EU by "contractual barriers" put in place by businesses, the European Commission has said.
Where contractual provisions are behind so-called "geo-blocking" then those agreements might breach EU competition rules, the Commission said in announcing the initial findings of its e-commerce sector inquiry. Geo-blocking refers to restrictions placed on access to online services and content on a geographic basis.
"In some cases, geo-blocking appears to be linked to agreements between suppliers and distributors," the Commission said. "Such agreements may restrict competition in the single market in breach of EU antitrust rules. This however needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis."
"In contrast, if geo-blocking is based on unilateral business decisions by a company not to sell abroad, such behaviour by a non-dominant company falls clearly outside the scope of EU competition law," it said."
www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/21/contractual_barriers_behind_geoblocking_could_breach_eu_competition_rules_says_commission/
"'Contractual barriers' behind geo-blocking could breach EU rules
Real talk: What does this mean for our Netflix subscriptions?
Consumers are partly prevented from accessing online services and content across the EU by "contractual barriers" put in place by businesses, the European Commission has said.
Where contractual provisions are behind so-called "geo-blocking" then those agreements might breach EU competition rules, the Commission said in announcing the initial findings of its e-commerce sector inquiry. Geo-blocking refers to restrictions placed on access to online services and content on a geographic basis.
"In some cases, geo-blocking appears to be linked to agreements between suppliers and distributors," the Commission said. "Such agreements may restrict competition in the single market in breach of EU antitrust rules. This however needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis."
"In contrast, if geo-blocking is based on unilateral business decisions by a company not to sell abroad, such behaviour by a non-dominant company falls clearly outside the scope of EU competition law," it said."
www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/21/contractual_barriers_behind_geoblocking_could_breach_eu_competition_rules_says_commission/
