Video Streaming Providers to Escape EU Ban on Internet Geo Blocking

Rights holders will be pleased to learn that a leaked draft of the European Commission’s new Digital Single Market policy, which is expected to be published before the end of May 2016, looks set to exempt video streaming providers (e.g. Netflix) from the plan to ban geo-blocking of online content.

Geographic Internet blocking is the method by which online content providers are able to identify your country of origin by the Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to your connection, which then allows them to restrict your access to their content even if you’re paying for it. This can be avoided by using a VPN or Proxy Server, although some providers are now blocking those too (easier said than done).

Online services and websites often deny consumers access based on their location or they’ll re-route you to a local store with different prices. But Europe sees many such blocks as being “unjustified” and reflective of an out-of-date copyright licensing model, which still hasn’t been updated for the Internet age.

Unfortunately TorrentFreak reports that a leaked draft of the final policy includes several exemptions for the following service types; non-economic services of general interest, transport services, audio-visual services, gambling activities, healthcare services and certain social services.

Audio-Visual Services

“The measures laid down in this Regulation should apply to services including the sale of goods provided by traders, which also include intermediaries acting in the name or on behalf of other companies, regardless of the technology or means used to place the order or access the market.

Considering that some regulatory and administrative barriers for traders have been removed across the Union in certain services sectors as a result of the implementation of Directive 2006/123/EC, in terms of material scope, consistency should be ensured between this Regulation and Directive 2006/123/EC.

Audio-visual services, including services the main feature of which is the provision of access to broadcasts of sports events and which are provided on the basis of exclusive territorial licenses, are therefore excluded from the scope of this Regulation.”

The move is perhaps not a huge surprise, particularly given that politicians have a long history of caving in to Copyright Holders and content licensing remains a complicated beast to simplify. On the other hand it will come as a blow to consumers, many of whom will have been hoping to gain greater and easier access to legal content from other countries.

A lot of EU countries produce some top quality Movies and TV, but being able to view them online through legal channels is often a challenge and one that the new policy may be unable to resolve.