02/20, 2:50pm
Comcast TWC Online TV
Two US cable providers are looking to put their TV programming online in a bid to preserve their business, sources have reportedly told the Wall Street Journal. Comcast and Time Warner Cable are believed to have been in ongoing talks with content providers, such as NBC and Viacom, for a deal that would let subscribers to cable TV packages stream "much" of their available shows online on the web. The selection would be "well beyond" what free online services like Hulu offer.
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12/31, 11:50am
Viacom vs. Time Warner
As soon as January 1st, a number of Time Warner cable subscribers could find themselves without some of the most popular TV channels, writes the LA Times. Viacom -- which owns networks such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV -- has threatened to withdraw its programming should it be unable to reach a new contract agreement with Time Warner by midnight of December 31st. "We've been attempting to negotiate in good faith but they seem to taken it to the brink," claims Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman.
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07/15, 5:35pm
Google Viacom agreement
Google, Viacom, and the Football Association of England have all reached an agreement after the latter two firms brought charges of copyright infringement to the video-based social networking site YouTube. Reuters reveals that while the service normally specializes in user-created content, YouTube also hosts many segmented commercial productions, despite the action being against its End-User License Agreement.
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12/13, 2:55pm
Pushing for a harder DMCA
Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), the chair of the House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, today argued that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not go far enough, despite common complaints about its severity. Berman is overseeing a hearing on the PRO-IP Act, a bill which could increase statutory damages for copyright violation, and even establish an intellectual property enforcement office in the Department of Justice. Before today's witness testimonies began, Berman admitted that there were things he would like to change in copyright law to make the DMCA more strict.
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