Faced with the need to meet the high burden of proof imposed by the European Court for prohibiting a merger (ie that it would significantly change matters for the worse) the EC Commission concluded that four recorded music “majors” would not enjoy a position of collective dominance. The marriage of Sony and BMG was therefore … Read more
The excessively complicated rules which for the last 15 years have governed the content of credit and hire advertisements are about to be simplified (a little). New regulations come into force on 31 October 2004 which will replace the existing 1989 regulations. The 1989 regulations currently provide for three levels of detail in the presentation … Read more
The issue of whether competition law applies to trade unions is particularly important in the entertainment industry where artists, actors and other self employed individuals often have to act collectively to reach commercially satisfactory agreements with powerful organised groups such as broadcasters and advertisers. Where entertainment trade unions enter into agreements recommending minimum prices for … Read more
The UK looks set to become a digital media capital – with take-up of digital television, digital radio and broadband all rapidly increasing over the last 18 months. A report from OFCOM (the recently-created replacement for OFTEL), published in August 2004 and entitled “The Communications Market 2004”, provides a wealth of information and statistics about … Read more
On 1 October 2004, the provisions of the Employment Act 2002 which include dismissal and disciplinary procedures and grievance procedures will come into force. They are of considerable importance as they lay down minimum standards which all employers must follow to avoid a dismissal being automatically unfair. The dismissal and disciplinary procedures apply to most … Read more
Recent developments indicate that the longest surviving format in the history of the music business will soon become commercially extinct. In addition to the closure of some landmark vinyl emporiums, a series of high-profile DJs have announced plans to forego their beloved “steel wheels” in favour of computers. Though sales of vinyl fell sharply between … Read more
