EU wants to wrap online video sites in red tape

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT is pleading with the European Union to stop plans to bring broadcasting regulations online, which would hit amateur video sharing sites like the popular YouTube.

The directive would mean websites that featured videos would have to conform to EU standards - even personal websites for video blogging would have to be licensed as a "television-like service," reports The Times. The idea behind the bill is to set standards on areas like the protection of children and messages of hate.

Ministers in the UK are a bit miffed about the proposed rules, dubbed the Television Without Frontiers directive, claiming it's unfair for small, amateur sites. Most ministers agree that television programmes themselves should be subject to standards, it's a bit silly to put website content up to EU regulation.

Broadcasting Minister Shaun Woodward said that television is television, and it's "common sense." He explains, "If it looks like a TV programme and sounds like one then it probably is. A programme transmitted by a broadcaster over the net could be covered by extending legislation. But video clips uploaded by someone is not television." µ

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