Bill 'Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines': Views on the Telecommunications, Media, and Technology Sector

• Amendments to the Law for the Promotion of National Film Activity No. 17.741 (Cinema Law)

 

The Draft Bill aims to eliminate the Public Registry of Film and Audiovisual Activity (Registry), in which the individuals and/or legal entities that make up the different branches of the cinematographic and audiovisual industry and commerce were forced to register; film, television and video production companies; distributors, exhibitors, laboratories; film studios; publishing companies, distributors of recorded video grams, owners of video clubs and/or any other premises or company dedicated to the sale, rental or exhibition of films by the videocassette system or by any other means.

 

In accordance with this, the tax equivalent to 10% applicable on the sale or rental price of any type of recorded video gram, intended for public or private exhibition, whatever its genre (Section 21 inc. b, Cinema Law - Section 564 of the Draft Bill), whose collection and control was in charge of the Federal Administration of Public Revenues (Section 22 Cinema Law - Section 578 of the Draft Bill), is removed.

 

With this removal, it would no longer be necessary to be registered in the Registry in order to be able to act in any of the aforementioned activities (Section 57 Cinema Law - Section 578 of the Draft Bill).

 

Finally, within the framework of the Register, the National Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts of Argentina (INCAA) issued several resolutions aimed at over-the-top platforms. With this elimination, the registration and obligation to pay fees by these platforms, among other subjects of the industry, would be outside the scope of the regulation of the Cinema Law.

 

 

• Public companies subject to privatization

The Draft Bill declares "subject to privatization", under the terms and with the effects of Law No. 23,696, certain companies wholly or majority state-owned, among which we highlight:

 

• EMPRESA ARGENTINA DE SOLUCIONES SATELITALES S.A.
• Contenidos Públicos S.E.
• CORREO OFICIAL DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA S.A.
• EDUC.AR S.E.
• Innovaciones Tecnológicas Agropecuarias S.A.
• Polo Tecnológico Constituyentes S.A.
• Radio de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral S.A.
• Radio y Televisión Argentina S.E.
• Servicio de Radio y Televisión de la Universidad de Córdoba S.A.
• TELAM S.E.
• Vehículo Espacial Nueva Generación S.A.

 

• Traffic Law No. 24,449 ("Traffic Law") is amended.

This amendment incorporates modifications to the Traffic Law, authorizing driving by autonomous systems for self-directed vehicles.

 

In this sense, it defines self-driven vehicles as "any motor vehicle that has a driving system that does not require human intervention". They may also be used for the transportation of passengers or load (art. 20 bis, Traffic Law).

 

In order to circulate, self-driven vehicles must have a software authorized by the Argentine Executive Branch, complying with the condition of demonstrating "an accident rate lower than the average accident rate corresponding to human driving." The regulatory authority may authorize the provisional circulation of the software or use the data provided by its developers in other countries for the purpose of compiling such data." (art. 20 ter, Traffic Law)