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UK GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR ACTION ON SAUDI PIRATES
The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Comcast’s one- third stake in the video streaming service, Hulu. Disney helped launch Hulu nearly 12 years ago and already owns two-thirds of the streaming and video on-demand service. Under the terms of the deal, Comcast won’t sell its interest to Disney for at least another five years and Disney has guaranteed the potential payout will be based on Hulu’s current $27.5 billion valuation. Disney is now able to integrate or bundle Hulu’s three video tiers (ad- supported VOD, ad-free VOD and live TV) with Disney+, launching at the end of this year. NBCUniversal parent, Comcast, is keeping NBC shows, such as The Office , on Hulu until 2024. The decision signals no sudden disruption, and shows that both NBCU, which plans to launch its own service in 2020, and Disney are being thoughtful about the consumer experience. DISNEY TAKES OVER HULU
British MPs have called for a “robust attack” on Saudi Arabia-backed TV operation BeoutQ, amid accusations it is stealing intellectual property from UK sport and entertainment proprietaries. The UK secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS), Jeremy Wright, confirmed a number of government bodies are investigating and that the embassy in Riyadh is speaking with the Saudi authorities. He said: “If we want to see good quality sport, we have to make sure people are able to protect those rights. Those who are seeking to undermine those rights of course undermine that process.”
British MP Damian Collins said: “The issue of BeoutQ is straightforward piracy” and questioned whether the government is taking appropriate independent action, adding: “I’d be concerned if our interest in this issue is being balanced with other trade interests in the region.” Back in April, former UK secretary of state, Alistair Carmichael, argued: “The government has got to challenge their friends in Saudi Arabia and get them to take more action to protect the future of sports and entertainment industries, and ensure that the football teams that we all love can continue to thrive.”
BeoutQ’s bootlegging operation began in 2017 over a political dispute between Qatar and a coalition of countries led by its largest neighbour, Saudi Arabia. Since then, it has pirated content from beIN Sports and other sports providers, broadcast over Arabsat. Other internationally pirated content has included the Super Bowl and English Premier League.
US BLACKLISTS COPYRIGHT VIOLATORS
The US Trade Representative (USTR) has named China and India among 11 countries that aren’t doing enough to fight intellectual property (IP) crimes, warning of trade- secret theft alongside the proliferation of generic drugs and counterfeiting. where IP protection and enforcement has deteriorated or The report identifies
remained inadequate, and where US persons who rely on intellectual property protection can have difficulty with fair and equitable market access. Concerns about India’s trade practices have escalated since an investigation
aimed at protecting local generic drug makers over foreign companies. The US estimates that counterfeiting cost copyright holders almost $12bn in 2012, contributed to by pirated versions of software programs and operating systems being sold in Nehru Place – the
most notorious market for piracy in the world. The USTR also registered “significant concerns” about the theft of trade secrets in China and urged the government to take steps to stop Chinese companies taking advantage of overseas competitors. Italy was removed from the blacklist after taking new steps to combat copyright piracy over the internet.
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