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Requiring a broadcasting license to be a content creator? (Patreon)

Published:
2017-04-10 13:02:14
Imported:
2026-06

Content

One of our new supporters brought this to my attention.

It's a German article translated through Google Translate, but it's legible.

Essentially there's an effort afoot to require a license to be a live streaming content creator.   They're apparently using their radio broadcaster's license as the tool.

ONCE AGAIN - THIS IS BIGGER THAN YOUTUBE.

This is about WHO will control the content distribution systems and WHAT they will allow you to say.

~Karl

(Click "To The Article" when you get there.)

Files

Google Translate

Comments

Wodan

Heya Karl, native German speaker here. Some important details got lost in translation there. This only affects channels that have a TV-channel-like permanent broadcast schedule! The affected channel started a 24h gaming-related channel very much LIKE a TV channel and thus it is currently evaluated if such an online program underlies the same restrictions as a non-internet equivalent.

Anonymous

It's pretty deplorable that the use of bureaucracy to muzzle voices is on the rise again.

Anonymous

What a stupid argument. Broadcasting licenses make sense on radio frequencies for various reasons but there's no need for this on the Internet. Like Karl said, this is nothing more than a power grab.

Franklin S

After Brexit and Trump, the establishment powers have realized that uncontrolled dissemination of ideas can NOT be allowed.

Anonymous

Hey Karl, german radio/IT guy reporting in. The main argument for the "MedienAnstalten" (Media Institutes) is that LIVE Broadcasting requires a license when it ticks a box in this checklist. <a href="http://www.die-medienanstalten.de/fileadmin/Download/Rechtsgrundlagen/Richtlinien/Checkliste_Web-TV.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.die-medienanstalten.de/fileadmin/Download/Rechtsgrundlagen/Richtlinien/Checkliste_Web-TV.pdf</a> See 1.: last sentence "Als Faust-regel gilt: Angebote auf Abruf („On Demand“) sind Telemedien und bedürfen keiner Rundfunkzulassung. " fast translated: " As a rule of thumb: Supply on demand are tele-media and therefore need no Broadcasting license" This means everything recorded and uploaded is fine ( As of Now ) A livestream or regular show is a no-no, since long times. Mainly because you should not broadcast things they can't control like nazi propaganda or other illegal content. But the big reason why this is happening currently is that here in Germany there is a "Rundfunkgebührenbeitrag" a defacto tax every household has to pay which is supposed to cover the needed cost for communication infrastructure, the goverment institutions to control and regulate the whole matter and a bunch of radio/television stations. There is a long and ongoing legal fight between citizen and the state against this tax since alot of people dont want the content and therefore dont want to pay for it. Also there where bullshit law proposals like "We tax every internet capable device as a 'media consumation capable device' thus with ~10EUR / month EVEN when it's a NIC on the shelf or a PC not running..." The whole income is about ~8,3 Billion EUR/year so a huge chunk of money is going to be potentionally lost or even reimburesments coming. Now the "MedianAnstalten" noticed.. " oh there is this internet thing the young fellows are always talkin'bout" and try to get their share of it. Keep in mind IANAL,but can report from the front :)

Andy Wander

Click on the "Google Translate" link at the top, for the article page.

Anonymous

At times like this, it's important for Americans to remember our heritage. We are not Europe. We fought our revolution to be able to remain separate and different from Europe.

Anonymous

Countries in Europe tend to require licenses for everything. You need a license, for example, to fly R/C airplanes.

Anonymous
>>4640045

Yep, you even have to provide insurance documents for it when reaching a certain size/weight. And well it better be so IMHO since it prevents people from flying their drones , R/C planes , *-copters above the autobahn or near critical infrastructure.

Anonymous

A license does not "prevent" anything. Generally speaking, a license is when the government takes your rights and charges you money to get them back.

InRange TV
>>4639690

I understand that, and that's clear in the article, but it's still a sign of what's coming.

InRange TV
>>4639896

I do understand, but what they don't understand is that the internet doesn't work that way...or it shouldn't. I think it's possible that the internet may work that way in the future if we don't protect it.

Anonymous
>>4640174

I beg to differ. A chilling effect can be readily demonstrated whenever you introduce licensing to an activity. That alone "prevents" the activity from being widespread. Take a look at HAM licensing. The onerous licensing process is one of the primary reasons that the number of HAM operators world-wide is tiny as a portion of the population.

Anonymous

"Chilling effects " on fundamental rights such as free speech are considered bad things here. As for licensing radio and tv broadcasters , as others have noted, there is a need for regulation, as there are limited frequencies available. The same is not true with the internet.

Anonymous
>>4640425

To be fair, take a look at the difference between the GMRS licensing process and HAM in the US. There's no real reason why HAM can't be handled the same way as GMRS if enforcement is handled properly. (For example, I have a GMRS license because there's no practical way for me to install the hardware necessary to run a full HAM system.) A GMRS license is as simple as registering on a website and paying a nominal fee. The HAM process is a lot more complicated despite the fact that, just like GMRS, people who don't care will ignore the regulations anyway. If you want to have fun, grab a HAM frequency capable transceiver and listen to what actually happens on the HAM frequencies. The argument can be made that all the effort being put into front-end licensing would be much better used on back-end enforcement. In some ways, it's a lot like gun control. Front-end systems do little to impact the misuse of firearms while back-end enforcement tends to be far less chilling on the exercise of a fundamental right and much more effective at preventing the misuse of the right in question.

Peter Biller

Hi Karl, to my understanding, that apply's only to a "regular show" That meens if you have a regular schedule, like you post a new video every thoursday at 5, you have a regular schedule. So to my understanding, if you post a video here and another one there, never stick to a routine, it should be fine. Anyway, very stupid regulation.

Anonymous

How that apocryphal quote goes again?... "“Why, sir, there is every probability that you will soon be able to tax it!”

Sootch00

Always looking for that angle to control things.... these people are ridiculous.

Anonymous

This is so typical German. Trying to use an old law on new media, instead of fixing this ridiculousness.

Arno Schmidt

We Germans are very afraid of left or right wing propaganda. We had quite a lot of both. The licence should guarantee that extremists can be made responsible if they break the law - at least this was the idea when the law was created nearly 10 years ago. Because the streamer must have regularly over 500 viewers per stream the government agency did not look into that for quiet a while but now they do.

Anonymous

just more control which has to stop

Anonymous

My fellow Countrymen are a bunch of timid sheeps.

Troy

Truly frightening

InRange TV
>>4647596

I wouldn't attribute that problem to countrymen, it seems to be a problem with most of the human population at this point.

ZombieM0ses

This is utterly stupid. Call your elected officials if you have the faculty. Posting videos on YouTube is not equivalent to contributing more radio signals to an already crowded airspace. What's next, they're going to start requiring licenses to post to blogs? To own a domain?

Anonymous

This is the next step towards a censorship infrastructure in Germany. But this is not a specifically german problem. We Germans do everything more thoroughly than thoroughly. The pressure on the new media is a problem for the entire Western world. <a href="http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/rundfunklizenz-fuer-youtuber-14945278.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/rundfunklizenz-fuer-youtuber-14945278.html</a> (try google translate)