EU’s Digital Media Portability Rules Have Taken Effect
Published on April 2, 2018
- The European Union's much talked about Digital Media Portability Rules have come into effect as of 1st April 2018.Â
- Digital media services will now be able to provide users the same home-like experience- without regional blockings or foreign language libraries, as long as they are traveling within countries that are also a member of EU.
- Due to denial from Brexit, the UK will not be able to enjoy the Digital Media Portability Rules, after 29th March 2019.Â
If you live in the European Union, then your holidays just became even more entertaining. The EU’s Digital Media Portability Rules, which has been in talks for a long time now, has finally come into effect as of 1st April 2018.
According to the new rules, if you are a member of an EU nation and you are currently traveling to a different country which too is a member of the EU, then you will get the same home-like experience on your digital media services(Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and others).
Previously, when people traveled from one country to another, their Netflix account (suppose) would be subjected to regional blocks or content libraries that are specific to that country. However, this will not be the case anymore within the countries that are a member of the European Union, thanks to the Digital Media Portability Rules.
Image Courtesy of Daily Mirror
Before the rule came into play, foreign travelers had to set up certain software or toggle multiple settings and go through much hassle, just to enjoy their digital media service - as they are used to back home. But now, services which honor the new rule can simply cross-check the account details with the current internet address, and provide users with the same home-like media consumption experience. As long as you were and currently are in an EU nation, your experience with the services will be same as before.
Now, it is worth noting that the new mandate does not apply to free services, but they are also not restricted from taking part. However, there is the restriction to charge a premium payment from customers for providing this benefit.
But alas, this new benefit will be short lived for people in the UK. With coming of March 29th, 2019, Brexit has stated that they will deny portability for UK customers, so users here only have around a year to fully enjoy the Digital Media Portability Rules.
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