Unlawful Utilization of Content: Case Against Unnamed Private Streaming Platform Over Unauthorized Usage of Programs from ZDF and Arte - Unauthorized Use of ZDF and Arte Content Prohibited by Court for Private Streaming Platform
German Court Rules Against Joyn's Use of ZDF Content
A recent ruling by the Munich Regional Court has determined that private streaming platform Joyn is not permitted to use content from the public broadcaster ZDF without explicit consent. The court's decision is based on the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty, which safeguards the freedom of broadcasters to manage their offerings.
The dispute arises from Joyn, owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media, who had been integrating links to excerpts from ZDF's media library without prior agreement. ARD and ZDF filed a lawsuit, alleging that this embedding violated the Interstate Media Treaty.
The court's decision upholds the right of public broadcasters to control the distribution of their content. Joyn had been seen as infringing on this right by not obtaining prior consent from ARD and ZDF. The ruling prohibits Joyn from directly linking to the media libraries of ARD and ZDF in the future. It is important to note that Joyn had already ceased these direct links during the legal proceedings.
It was not made clear whether other public broadcasters, such as ARD, were involved in this case. The separate public broadcaster Arte is not mentioned in the context of this legal dispute between Joyn and the German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.
[1] Spiegel Online. (2021, March 17). Joyn musclent aus ARD und ZDF Mediatheken löschen. Retrieved from https://www.spiegel.de/tv/tv-news/joyn-musclent-aus-ard-und-zdf-mediatheken-loeschen-a-db6220cf-f3bc-4e7f-9b3d-51e10608c7c9[2] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. (2021, March 16). Joyn muss ARD und ZDF-Inhalte streichen. Retrieved from https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/mediathek/joyn-muss-ard-und-zdf-inhalte-streichen-17214476.html
- The court's decision, based on Community law - specifically the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty - reaffirms the right of public broadcasters to control the distribution of their content in the digital age, as the use of ZDF content by Joyn without prior consent was deemed a violation.
- In the realm of technology and entertainment, the ruling serves as a reminder that the use of protected content, such as that from public broadcasters like ARD and ZDF, requires explicit consent to avoid legal complications, as demonstrated in the case of Joyn.
