EU Looks to Regulate Net Video

A proposal currently being discussed by the European Commission may end up requiring Web sites and mobile phone services to conform to a set of standards regarding Internet video, media reports indicate. While it is intended to offer certain types of protection, some member governments say the law is too broad.

For example, the new law may actually require licenses to post amateur content, the British Broadcasting Minister says. "Supposing you set up a website for your amateur rugby club, uploaded some images and added a link advertising your local sports shop," Minister Shaun Woodward said. "You would then be a supplier of moving images and need to be licensed and comply with the regulations." He said his government is seeking a compromise that would better define what "television" is.