An international and multidisciplinary reader with a clear focus on multimedia economics and content. The reader covers two main fields of analysis: (a) the economic perspectives of the European content industry and its impact on the market development, including new business models; and (b) the cultural and educational contexts of multimedia. A number of articles are based on academic papers from researchers with various backgrounds in media & communication research, sociology, computer sciences, and education, whereas other contributions from industry advisers and practitioners provide 'market reports' on specific issues.
Technologies develop rapidly and reach hurricane levels of velocity but quality E-Content and innovative applications lag behind. This book addresses the question how content industries change within a digital environment and what role information and communication technologies play in transforming the competitive landscape. The authors argue that post-industrial societies tend to pay substantial amounts for equipment and gadgets but invest far too little in the quality of the content. As a result, much effort is and has to be spent on the enhancement of E-Content. The contributions give an elaborate overview of: - the specifics, challenges and prospects of content in the network economy; - market developments of digital media services; - paid content business models; - impacts on scientific publishing; - developments in the field of E-Learning; - the interplay between technology and content with the example of interactive digital TV; - the mobile games market; - emerging new cross media markets; - the need to enhance the usability of websites and mobile applications; - how digital applications might be used to capture and store our personal experiences. A final chapter shows the prospects of the European E-Content market and gives an overview of valuable initiatives and resources dealing with the topic of E-Content.
`Everyone concerned over the construction of a truly social Europe will learn much from this thoughtful and probing study." - Professor Colin Crouch, Istituto Universitario Europeo In this comprehensive overview of trade unionism in Europe and beyond, Richard Hyman offers a fresh perspective on trade union identity, ideology and strategy. He shows how the varied forms and impact of different national movements reflect historical choices on whether to emphasize a role as market bargainers, mobilizers of class opposition or partners in social integration. The book demonstrates how these inherited traditions can serve as both resources and constraints in responding to the challenges which confront trade unions in
A complex network of regulatory systems has arisen around the provision of media in Europe. In this connection regulating content is a focal point, as content is not only of economic but of vital cultural importance. At Community level a wide variety of measures have been taken to promote this branch of industry, especially in fields in which new and innovative digital technologies are used to enhance the market potential of content and creative products and services. This important book focuses on regulatory interventions in the content industry under Community law. It offers an in-depth perspective on the functioning of the European legal framework for the content industry, its guiding principles, and its explicit and sometimes more fluid interface with policy areas falling largely into Member States competences. In this aspect the book can also be read as an analysis of the impact of the cooperation between European and Member State regulation when economic as well as social, democratic, and cultural policy goals are at stake. Among the areas of content regulation covered are: legal definitions related to the content industry; branches of the content industry broken down according to content category and distribution system; the division of competences between the EC and the Member States in cultural affairs; Community projects relevant to the content industry; competition rules relating to distribution; market entry and access regulation in the electronic communication markets; specific regulation for such considerations as the protection of minors, protection of health, protection of consumers, and protection of personal rights; ensuring and safeguarding functioning market structures in the content markets; and harmonization and coordination measures. The basis of this book was a research project commissioned by the Austrian Federal Chancellery in preparation for a seminar supported by the European Commission in connection with Austria?s Council Presidency in the first half of 2006. As a systematic overview and analysis of the legal bases of European content regulation, this book will be of extraordinary value to practitioners, policymakers, officials, and academics in the fields of media and communications law. Beyond that, the work sheds a clear and defining light on an area that has an important role to play in the future economic growth and the development of a competitive business environment in Europe.
This book inquires into the competence of the EU to legislate in the field of copyright, and uses content analysis techniques to demonstrate the existence of a normative gap in copyright lawmaking. To address that gap, it proposes the creation of benchmarks of legislative activity, reasoning that EU secondary legislation, such as directives and regulations, should be based on higher sources of law. It investigates two such possible sources: the activity of the EU Court of Justice in the pre-legislative era and the EU treaties. From these sources, the author establishes concrete benchmarks of legislative activity, which she then tests by applying them to current EU copyright legislation. This provides examples of good and bad practices in copyright lawmaking and also shows how the benchmarks could be implemented in copyright legislation. Finally, the author offers some recommendations in this regard.
This edited collection brings together leading academics in their respective fields to examine the European Union's impact on media and public policy. It provides an analysis of the broader areas of EU policy and links these together to give a greater appreciation of the nuances and scope of EU regulatory initiatives and their impact on the member states. Under a broad public interest perspective, the authors provide an assessment of the success of EU policy in protecting the public interest in the culture industries and respecting certain normative principles and balancing these with market dynamics.
A groundbreaking handbook that takes a cross-national approach to the media history of Europe of the past 100 years The Handbook of European Communication History is a definitive and authoritative handbook that fills a gap in the literature to provide a coherent and chronological history of mass media, public communication and journalism in Europe from 1900 to the late 20th century. With contributions from teams of scholars and members of the European Communication Research and Education Association, the Handbook explores media innovations, major changes and developments in the media systems that affected public communication, as well as societies and culture. The contributors also examine the general trends of communication history and review debates related to media development. To ensure a transnational approach to the topic, the majority of chapters are written not by a single author but by international teams formed around one or more lead authors. The Handbook goes beyond national perspectives and provides a basis for more cross-national treatments of historical developments in the field of mediated communication. Indeed, this important Handbook: Offers fresh insights on the development of media alongside key differences between countries, regions, or media systems over the past century Takes a fresh, cross-national approach to European media history Contains contributions from leading international scholars in this rapidly evolving area of study Explores the major innovations, key developments, differing trends, and the important debates concerning the media in the European setting Written for students and academics of communication and media studies as well as media professionals, The Handbook of European Communication History covers European media from 1900 with the emergence of the popular press to the professionalization of journalists and the first wave of multimedia with the advent of film and radio broadcasting through the rapid growth of the Internet and digital media since the late 20th century.
An unprecedented inside view of the European Commission, and institution which substantially influences the legislative agenda of the European Union. Based on testimonies of 150 insiders, the authors show how the institution is significantly influenced by political power struggles that affect the rules that govern Europe.
