AEPOC defines anti-piracy agenda for 2004

	E.U. enlargement represents a major challenge to the anti-piracy policy in Europe
	AEPOC welcomes the full CAD implementation in Europe
	2003 was a milestone in the development of the association
	Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft (CASST) presents successful fight against piracy in Canada
	Aston becomes 31st member company of AEPOC

Brussels, December 16^th 2003 - At its annual meeting in Brussels the General Assembly of AEPOC, the European Association for the Protection of Encrypted Works and Services, has defined its working agenda for 2004. The association will focus on the adoption and enforcement of the acquis communautaire on piracy of audiovisual services by the new E.U. Member States. AEPOC will also provide qualified input for the report on the Conditional Access Directive currently being prepared by the E.U. Commission. An additional focal point in 2004 will be piracy of emerging digital terrestrial TV and IP-based pay services.

Challenge E.U. Enlargement

The up-coming E.U. enlargement represents an important challenge to the anti-piracy policy in Europe. In its Comprehensive Monitoring Report on the State of Preparedness for EU Membership, issued in November 2003, the European Commission points out the scope of the piracy problem in the future Member States. According to the Commission's analysis a relatively high degree of violations of intellectual and industrial property rights persists in these countries compared to the situation in the current E.U.. According to the Commission this holds true despite the fact that the acceding countries have mostly adopted the necessary legislation for the protection of intellectual and industrial property rights and have strengthened the relevant enforcement bodies.
AEPOC shares this concern of the Commission and the conclusion it draws by demanding an intensification of the fight against piracy and counterfeiting. Given the rapid technological development of electronic pay services as well as the economic damages related to piracy of audiovisual services AEPOC believes that efforts to combat piracy in the future Member States must be stepped up in the very near future.

AEPOC's Work

In 2004 AEPOC and its members will continue to contribute to the implementation and enforcement of the existing E.U. legislation by facilitating national and Europeanwide dialogues between industry and officials as well as by creating public awareness for the existing shortcomings. In this spirit AEPOC welcomes the full implementation of the 1998 Directive on legal protection of electronic pay-services (EU Directive 98/84) by all the Member States which has been completed by the adoption of the relevant legislation by Belgium, Greece, Luxembourg and Spain in 2003.
AEPOC's work was advanced significantly during 2003. Among other activities highlights included the presentation of President Jean Grenier at the E.U. ministerial seminar "The circulation of European works of art inside the E.U.", the organisation of the 1st AEPOC European Anti-Piracy Symposium in Vicenza, Italy, the set-up of a task force to investigate technical and legal counter-measures against new threats of piracy and the launch of the advertising campaign titled "Protecting Uniqueness". In 2003 the anti-piracy association won seven new members bringing its membership to a total of 31.
"AEPOC is looking back on a remarkably successful year and our association has made a number of important contributions. Our ongoing dialogue with policy-makers and legislators has placed our fingerprint on the anti-piracy efforts across Europe. We have pointed out that piracy of audiovisual services is theft and we will continue to do so," resumes Jean Grenier, president of AEPOC. "2004 will see us a very active player in the fight against piracy of audiovisual services both in the enlarged E.U. and beyond."

The Brussels Meeting

At the General Assembly AEPOC welcomed executive representatives of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB — www.cab-acr.ca) and the Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft (CASST — www.casst-ccvss.ca). CASST groups concerned broadcasters, content providers and distributors from across North America. In a comprehensive presentation CASST introduced the association's successful fight against both cable and satellite signal theft in Canada. The substantial results were possible through a social and political consensus on piracy, private-public partnerships, the co-ordination of anti-piracy efforts and powerful end-user communication. Taking the global character of piracy of audiovisual services into account it was agreed at the meeting that a working relationship between CAB and CASST on one side and AEPOC on the other will be established. The General Assembly was also attended by delegates of the Motion Picture Association (www.mpaa.org). During the Brussels meeting the admission of Aston was approved: The conditional access technology vendor (www.aston-france.com) becomes the 31^st member company of the association.

The next AEPOC meeting will be hosted in Paris in March 2004.

AEPOC (www.aepoc.org) is the "Association Européenne pour la Protection des Œuvres et Services Cryptés" or the "European Association for the Protection of Encrypted Works and Services". AEPOC started its activities in 1995. Its current membership consists of 31 leading digital television and telecommunication companies including TV channels, conditional access providers, providers of transmission infrastructures and manufacturers of related hardware.

AEPOC's goal is to eliminate the pirating of encrypted works and services and to encourage the development of the appropriate legal, operational and technological frameworks to increase the security and safeguarding of conditional access systems for Pay-TV, TV-based and IP services.

The AEPOC members are: Aston, BskyB, Canal+, Canal+ Polska, comvenient, Conax, Digiturk, Eutelsat, Humax, Irdeto Access, Motorola, Nagravision, NDS, Nokia, NTV-Plus, Pace, Philips, Premiere, Raisat, Sagem, SCM Microsystems, Showtime Arabia, SkyItalia, Sogecable, Thomson, TPS, TVCabo, UGC Europe, Viaccess - France Telecom, Viasat Broadcasting and WELA Electronic.

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