communications service providers in the EU as of 21 December 2020.
Find out how this affects your business and how to ensure compliance under the new legal regime.
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OTT REGULATION IN THE EU
GET ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION HERE
In the past, providers of internet-based communications apps, so called OTT communications services, have been subject merely to the general law in the EU. This has changed as of 21 December 2020, the date from which a level playing field between providers of OTT services and traditional telecommunications providers was created EU-wide. OTT service providers will have to comply with a significant number of new regulatory requirements or face the threat of massive fines. This new regulation has global reach.
The new legal regime affects every enterprise that offers its services in the EU, irrespective of its registered seat of business! This website, operated by the German law firm Schalast Rechtsanwaelte as part of an international Multilaw initiative, is dedicated to providers of OTT communications services as well as any other person interested in the subject matter. It shall serve as a source of information, current news, and provide guidance to affected enterprises to safely cross the complex waters of OTT regulation.
Overview
Short and comprehensive
Timeline
THE ROAD TO REGULATION
29/01/2016
BEREC publishes a comprehensive report on OTT services, encouraging EU legislators to revise the legal framework to include OTT services in regulatory law
14/09/2016
EU Commission proposes a new directive establishing the European Electronic Communications Code
11/12/2018
The European Parliament and of the Council adopt the European Electronic Communications Code as Directive (EU) 2018/1972
05/06/2019
The European Court of Justice confirms the qualification of SkypeOut as an electronic communications service under the former legal regime
13/06/2019
The European Court of Justice rejects Gmail’s qualification as an electronic communications service under the former legal regime
22/04/2020
BEREC initiates information gathering on OTT parameters via an EU-wide questionnaire
21/12/2020
New regulation shall take effect by adoption of the European Electronic Communications Code into the national laws of the EU member states
01/12/2021
The TKG amendment comes into force in Germany. OTT providers are regulated under telecommunications law for the first time.
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Our Solutions
HOW OTT PROVIDERS ACHIEVE COMPLIANCE EU-WIDE
About Us
FIND OUT WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
This homepage is operated by the German law firm Schalast Rechtsanwälte as head of an international expert group of law firms specialised on OTT regulation. The expert group was founded under the roof of Multilaw, a global network of independent law firms. We advise clients on all matters of OTT regulation in the European Union and beyond. This website has been created to provide OTT providers as well as the interested public with a comprehensive overview of the legal framework in which OTT providers operate.
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