The Association of National Advertisers’ and the American Association of Advertising Agencies’ Joint Policy Committee on Talent Union Relations has reached an agreement on a new three-year collective bargaining contract with the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) covering the production of music tracks in U.S. TV and radio commercials.The previous AFM labor contract expired on Oct. 16. The new agreement, which is subject to ratification by AFM membership, is retroactive to Oct. 17 and extends to Oct. 16, 2004….Directors Scott Burns and Peter Berg have signed with bicoastal HSI Productions. Burns was previously partnered in bicoastal Tool of North America, while actor/ writer Berg had most recently been repped as a spot director by now defunct Shooting Gallery Productions….From private to public and back to private again. That’s the journey of Steve Shore, the long-time president/executive producer of Shelter Films. First a privately held company, Shelter was bought last year by the publicly traded, New York-headquartered Paradise Music & Entertainment (SHOOT, 7/7/00, p. 7). About a month ago, Paradise announced that Shelter had ceased all operations. However, Shore kept many of his Shelter colleagues together and has now resurfaced with them in the just launched bicoastal, privately held production house Public Domain. Among the former Shelter folk at Public Domain are directors Tim Abshire, Rent Sidon, Melissa Bolton and Ned Ambler….Director Richard Sears has joined bicoastal Coppos Films. He had been at bicoastal HKM Productions…..Biscuit Filmworks, Hollywood, has signed director Brian Baderman, who comes over from bicoastal/international Believe Media……Park Pictures, New York, has signed director Ramaa Mosley….New York-based Curious Pictures has added Australian director Nick Donkin for U.S. representation….Comtrack will relaunch on Nov. 1 under the new leadership of equal partners and composers Larry Pecorella and Bryan Rheude. The Chicago-headquartered music house will also be changing its name to Comma….Charlex, New York, has added designer/director Jeet Tailor….The industry is mourning Don S. Maurer, president/CEO of McKinney & Silver, Raleigh, N.C., who was killed in a car accident on Oct. 20….
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More