Upload
guest0f94fe
View
341
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Towards a political economy of the Internet
Control over space, time, speed, quality and access onthe Internet. An analysis of mechanisms andinstruments.
Leo Van Audenhove (IBBT-SMIT)John Vanhoucke (Telindus)Luciano Morganti (IBBT-SMIT)
2
Overview
Introduction Cultural industry (audiovisual)
Current position on digitalization Current business models - versioning
Regulation: definition and reasoning Controlling what, why, with what mechanisms and instruments?
Space - who can access content from where Time - who can access content when Speed - who can access at what speed Quality - who can access what quality Access - who can access what content
Relations between regulation and self-regulation
3
Introduction: Audiovisual industries
Current position on digitalization Fear of piracy in a real broadband era
Do not want to go same road as music industry Play active role in debate on protection
New possibilities through digitalization HDTV, video-on-demand, long tail, etc.
Existing business models Music industry
Limited amount of channels same time For majors already global market
Video market Based on ‘repurposing’ or versioning of content On different platforms and media Within different geographies
Much of work based on experience music industry
4
Introduction: Audiovisual industries
Main question Are we evolving towards global market? Are we staying within national and regional markets?
Hypothesis: Content industry will try to protect existing Business Models
In what way with what effect? How will existing power relations change? What is the interplay with other actors
Electronics industry Internet industry players: Google, Overture, etc. Telco and ISP industry
5
Regulation
Definition Start from a broad definition of regulation
Formal regulation: codified rules endorsed by law
Self regulation: norms, habits and practices influencing behavior and
structures but not codified Hypothesis
Self regulation plays an important role in Internet governance Instruments to ‘govern’ content distribution and protect BM
Being developed DRM, encryption, etc.
Already in place DRM, GeoIP, CDN, Identity Management, etc.
Not all of these supported by formal regulation
6
Control over Space
Two specific characteristics of business models Dependent on versioning of content in time
Sequentially introduced: theatre, airplane, pay-per-view, etc.
Sold in different geographic spaces at different times especially TV productions
Instruments of control GeoIP, personal and financial information
7
Control over Space: GeoIP
GeoIP Information about users
location (nation, region, city) 98% accuracy at national level ISP, network connection, speed, etc.
Based on IP address Information about infrastructure, distribution of IP Information from sites who ask users addresses Information from partnering ISPs
Often used to Control fraud Use in marketing Control access to content geographically
New GeoIP can control for IP circumvention/anonimizers
8
Control over Space: GeoIP Example
BBC iPlayer Access to on demand content of TV broadcasts Restricted to the UK by GeoIP Reason License Fee
Channel 4 4oD Restricted to GB and Ireland by GeoIP
Movielink US based movie site Paramount, Sony Pictures,
Universal Studios, Warner Bros First legal store for movies Restricted to the US by GeoIP
9
Control over Space: Financial and personal info
Financial / Personal information iTunes restricts access on basis of personal and bank
card info More restrictive then GeoIP European accessing from local US computer no access
No access to certain music and video TV series not yet scheduled outside US Movies not yet released on other media Reason ‘repurposing’ and ‘versioning’ strategies
Dualspeak on copyright and DRM According to Jobs not applicable to music No word in text on visual content
10
Control over Time
Related to control over space GeoIP and personal/banking information allow windowing
Audiovisual industries interested to limit access to content in time To prevent copying and distribution over the Internet To use price discrimination for its products To saveguard existing business models
DRM main instrument Access control mechanisms (software and technical) BM Music industry and audiovisual again often different
Music once purchased (mostly) unlimited use in time TV and Movies limited time to use
E.g. Cinema and DVD - two time for same product
11
Control over Time: BBC iPlayer - Movielink
BBC iPlayer Access to content 7 days after broadcasting Remains on disk of user for 30 days Once started viewing 24 hours to view Uses Windows DRM
Many complaints that service under TV license fee Should be open to all systems
Only accessible in Britain (Channel 4 similar service) Movielink
Difference between rental and purchase Rental: 30 days, once started 24 hours - Price in line with DVD rental Purchase: infinate use (on 1 to 3 devices) - Price close to DVD purchase Only accessible to US
Both services go beyond fair use (no possibility to have own copy) Protection through copyright law and contract law
12
Control over Speed/Quality
Not the same Gaming versus streaming put different requirements on network Related and taken together here
Internet made out of different independently managed networks Agreements exist between ISPs to connect networks People tend to forget that content providers and ISPs
Are constrained by the underlying biases in infrastructure Can make choices which affect speed and quality
Control over network Only partly influenced by content industry Mainly domain of ISPs and Telcos
In process of better controling speed over networks Brings up whole discussion of ‘net neutrality’ Fast lane and slow lane on the Internet
13
Control over Speed/Quality: Instruments
Content Delivery Networks Akamai, etc. have large servers all over the world Brings content closer to the edges of the network Large players host their content with international CDNs Gives them faster access to consumers Gives them some control over quality of their services
Peering Agreements ISPs interconnects to other networks on the Internet 80% of peering agreements with private partners SLAs between parties define quality of service Technological tendency
To be able to control speed and quality of content To differentiate between content e.g. Prioritization of video
14
Control over access
ISP can filter information and sites from their networks Used by authoritarian states to filter content Used by Western states to filter harmful content Might in future be used to filter sites
Whole debate on Net Neutrality Threath of ISPs in Brittain with BBC iPlayer
ISPs fear that iPlayer traffic would clog their networks Threaten to block BBC iPlayer traffic unless BBC contributes
Instruments Filters Walled Gardens Net neutrality
15
Regulation and self-regulation
Regulation Legal environment is changing and will be different for video
than for audio Slow globalization of copyright law - but stronger in centre
Millenium Copyright Act in US EU Copyright Directive Take into account transition to digital environment
Much more restrictive Bias to strong protection of copyrights holders Copy and access control technology supported by law
Self-regulation Although certain globalisation of copyright law Remains to be seen whether audiovisual industry is going global Control over time and space used to sustain existing business models Better control over speed/quality and access might strengthen this
16
Question
Citizen is becoming a global citizen?
Costumer is put back in the box of the nation state?