ISPs can be requested (by a court) to block access to pirate sites: that is the verdict of the European Court.
The arguments by the ISP (UPC Austria) were quite reasonable (it’s customers were not proven to act unlawfully, it had no relation to the pirate site, putting blocking measures in place is expensive and ineffective).
It is still awkward and seems disproportional.
A new milestone in consolidation and a somewhat bitter salute to (dwindling) diversity in the DTV security technology market: Conax acquired by Nagra (Kudelski). Conax always tried to be different. The changing market for CA and size of DRM and more system-level solutions probably made life harder for Conax.
Dear oh dear: Ziggo and Virgin keep on winning lawsuits and more and more patents from Rovi (former Gemstar) are found to be invalid. They are getting pretty close to being a patent troll with poor patents. What about all those companies that folden on the threat of patent lawsuits: do they feel sorry they payed?
What a revolutionary idea in one of the leading DTT markets: why not move some content online. It goes to show that online TV is becoming a serious alternative, even for a relatively broadcast minded organization as the BBC.
Maybe the UK should keep going at it and thus free up some serious spectrum. A new digital transition could take place: move to a next-gen digital TV standard: maybe T2+HEVC for some of the main channels (max. in 100Hz full HD) and the rest in SD or 720p HEVC online. Plan now and in about 7..10 years those old muxes can be switched off.
In all fair honesty a second questions also presents itself: why did the BBC create this channel in the first place?
update:
More views on this issue are coming in:
With tribute to BroadbandTVNews: BBC Three to cease linear broadcasts.