Channel 4 fined - again - for interrupting movies with commercials.

I told you guys back in 2004 about Vilgot Sjöman & Claes Eriksson's case against Channel 4 (sweden) that lead to Channel 4 being fined for interrupting these directors movies with commercials. Well, Channel 4 wasn't going to let that slide so they've been dancing around in the courts ever since - and today Swedens Högsta Domstol (highest court) slapped the channel once more. In the judgment the courts say that TV4 (channel four) have "by abruptly breaking up the movies for commercials, violated both directors distinctive character in the movies ”Hajen som visste för mycket” and ”Alfred” according to swedish copyright law."

Result: Channel four not only pays the old fine but now also the court costs for themselves and both directors for these past years. Also, Claes Eriksson says to Resume that the new judgement is "even more precise and more to our advantage" as well as "the judgement isn't just about mine and Vilgot's films, but movies in general."

Uh-oh. Yes indeed, the judgement cements that an advertising break actually ruins the viewers entire impression of the movie. Even if the commercial break is placed in between scenes, they'll break the rythm that the director has envisioned, and to add to that the movie becomes longer which according to the court isn't an unimportant detail.

They also state that the commercial interests behind the film do not have more rights than the director in how the work should be shown. Channel four will have to pay both directors court fees and a fine of 300 000 SEK. Since the last fine was only 50 000 SEK, and the judgement only applied to these two directors films instead of movies in general, it seems channel 4 should have left well enough alone aye? I wonder how this will affect all the commercial channels in Sweden, and possibly the rest of Europe... Stay tuned.