Netflix has been ordered by a Seoul court to pay network usage fees to mobile carriers. This decision was reached after Netflix brought SK Broadband, the internet protocol subsidiary of SK Telecom to court, following a complaint filed against Netflix with the Korea Communications Commission in November 2019. Netflix had asked the court to review if the US-based over-the-top (OTT) content provider is obligated to pay for SK Broadband’s network usage.
By Sean D. Yates
Introduction
Comparative lawyers have for over a century examined the ways different legal orders organize their laws. They have observed how law travels, how rather than reinvent the wheel, lawmakers will often copy or borrow legal ideas from another place (or time) and use it themselves. Law, however, doesn’t always fit. That is, it doesn’t always do what it is supposed to do. It may fail to achieve its intended purpose, may do better than expected, or may end up fulfilling an unintended purpose. Comparatists have also therefore highlighted the importance of the social context from which law is taken and into which it is placed, and how the transplanting exercise inevitably results in the law in question undergoing a transformation. It is no longer the same law because it operates differently in a different social context.
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), an autonomous telecommunications regulatory body, together with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has approved international airlines to use Nepal’s Internet and telecom services for its passengers.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) issued the Final Awards to Singtel Mobile Singapore Pte Ltd (Singtel) and the Joint-Venture Consortium (JVCo1) formed by StarHub Mobile Pte Ltd (StarHub) and M1 Limited (M1), at the close of a rigorous and holistic 5G Call for Proposal (CFP) process. Singtel and JVCo were issued the Provisional Awards in April this year.
China announced new import cuts this week to boost the nation’s semiconductor industry. This follows after US sanctions on some Chinese companies including tech giant Huawei and chipmaker SMIC to ease the impact on the industry.
To boost the economy and support businesses recovering from COVID-19, the Singapore government will spend an estimated $3.5 billion on ICT procurement in Financial Year (FY) 2020, an increase of 30 % from FY2019’s projected spend of $2.7 billion. The increased spending will help the government accelerate digitalisation as technology becomes increasingly vital in enabling citizens and workers to resume normal activities, and businesses to reopen safely after the COVID-19 “Circuit Breaker” (CB). Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be eligible to participate in 80% of these potential procurement opportunities.
Lawyers for Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou argued in a court to let her leave home without the security detail that was a condition of her bail since she was released after her December 2018 arrest.
Two COVID-19 inactivated vaccines have just been approved to go into clinical trial by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China.
Ericsson has filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the US, for their alleged violation of commitments related to royalty payments and patent licenses.
The United States has threatened to cut off Beijing-controlled China Telecom from serving the US market because of legal and security risks, announced the Justice Department.
