International Law

The ABC and BBC have embraced MySpace, according to The Australian:

MYSPACE users will soon be able to share some of their favourite Australian television shows after the signing of a new deal with the national broadcaster.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and its British counterpart, the BBC, have signed an agreement with MySpace allowing the use of their video content on the social networking website.

MySpace users can copy clips from the MySpaceTV channel and paste them to their profile.

"The ABC and BBC deals ensure MySpace users are now able to add new clips from the best in local and international TV programs to their profiles and continues the growing momentum of MySpaceTV,'' MySpace.com Australia & New Zealand vice president, Rebekah Horne, said.

The arrangement with the ABC includes Australian TV shows such as Summer Heights High, The Chaser's War on Everything and Enough Rope with Andrew Denton.

BBC's catalogue of programs will include Doctor Who, Robin Hood, The Catherine Tate show, Red Dwarf and Top Gear.

Ms Horne admitted one of the reasons behind the creation of the MySpaceTV network in 2007 was to provide users with a legal way of adding copyrighted material to their pages.

"What we found was that there was a lot of interest in embedding video in their profile,'' Ms Horne said.

"So we're out there sourcing content as an addition to what was being generated by users.''

According to Ms Horne, adding video from sources such as the ABC and BBC, is a way for MySpace users to express their identity.

"It's really one of the elements of social networking. It's about sharing and self-expression, it's about saying 'here's something I found','' she added.

Read more here.  This is a great move by the ABC and will only further promote some of ABC's exciting shows, like The Chaser and Summer Heights High.