AIME’s new team members

AIME welcomes Rory Maguire and Sandra Obiaraeri to its executive team

The Association for Interactive Media and Entertainment –AIME is pleased to announce the permanent appointment of Rory Maguire as its Managing Director and Sandra Obiaraeri as its Market Development Manager.

Rory Maguire: Rory has a long history with Interactive Media services and is attributed with the development of the first UK text short code facility during his time at Orange, the creation of the first UK mobile operator internet service, the co-founder of the UK Payforit Scheme and the development of the video and voice short code services while at Three. His long and detailed history with mobile and fixed-line service provision since the early 90’s provides him with a deep understanding of each of the businesses conducted by AIME members.

Rory has provided his own specialist mobile payments consultancy service since early 2013 and has been consulting to AIME as Interim Managing Director since September 2013. Rory has now agreed at the request of the Board to provide his services full time to AIME from March 2015.

Rory states: “AIME provides a very active environment for its members to engage, discuss and resolve common issues and opportunities. This busy and extremely diverse environment makes the position of Managing Director both challenging and exciting. My vision is to ensure that AIME creates the environment in the UK for members to develop and improve their business, by removing unnecessary obstacles, ensuring a fair and proportionate regulatory regime exists and creating new opportunities through collaborative working.

Sandra Obiaraeri (pronounced Oberrie): Sandra has joined AIME as the Market Development Manager, bringing her skills and education to a much needed role created to cover a combination of researching into factors that could affect members businesses, regulatory liaison, and development of industry guidance, managing topical discussions and writing documents that explain the industry socio-economics and dynamics.

Sandra carries a degree in Law from the University of Hertfordshire and a Master in Business Administration from the University of West London.

 

Rory Maguire states: “I am pleased that Sandra has decided to join our busy team and is currently meeting with members and starting to understand their businesses. There are a myriad of complexities in interactive entertainment services and it needs a fresh pair of eyes to look at this industry and to establish how AIME continues to play a key critical role in the development of the industry.”

 

Chairman Edward Boddington stated today “AIME Members gain significant advantage by having a central organisation that fights their corner, provides continuous intelligence into the state of the market, puts the diverse membership together to grow new opportunities and empowers good practices. Having a operator such as Rory makes my role as a Chairman more rewarding as we can get things done more effectively with an experienced hand at the helm. I am also pleased that we have grown the skill of the team with the addition of Sandra and have great hopes for her development as a key player in the AIME executive.

2015 AIME Board announced

AIME welcomes Ibs Ali of Open Market, Alan Partington of Telecom 2 and Alex Haffner of Dentons to the Board

The Association for Interactive Media and Entertainment –AIME is pleased to announce the addition of three new members, Alan Partington, Ibs Ali and Alex Haffner to its Board of Directors.

AIMEs Board directs and oversees the operation of the Association as well as playing an active role in managing working groups and providing feedback regarding the industry sectors that AIME represents. AIME attempts to ensure that the board represents every vertical market that comprises membership.

Alan Partington from Telecom2 (www.telecom2.net) is a welcome addition to the Board to ensure that AIMEs focus on fixed line services remains strong as the industry enters its most significant transitional period with the introduction of split charging for consumers for calls to non-geographic service number ranges such as 09, 08 and 118. Alan replaces BT stalwart Graham Pottie and was uncontested.

Ibs Ali from Open Market (www.openmarket.com) is the Head of Account Management with responsibility for the commercial and operational delivery of mobile messaging and mobile payments solutions across OpenMarket’s client base. The client base includes AIMEs membership in Charity and Broadcast. Ibs previous experience includes News International, MINICK and Net Mobile and is an active participant in AIMEs working groups.

Alex Haffner from Dentons  (www.dentons.com ) is a Senior Associate at Dentons and has been opted on to the AIME Board to bring in his experience in the Regulatory and Competition Law fields. Alex will also be beneficial for the AIME board for his ability to assist with broader Board level discussions around the evolution of financially regulated micropayment services such as eMoney and Payment Services. Alex brings with him broad experience in the areas that AIME operates and his expertise in competition law relates to AIMEs strength in putting competitors together to examine common issues or opportunities

Chairman Edward Boddington stated today “We have a superb board with represented expertise from across the membership covering Broadcast, Mobile, Fixed line, Service Provision and Digital services promotion. These new Board Members, help us to complete the picture, replacing other board members that we have sadly lost due to changing roles. I am very excited to be working with Alex, Ibs and Alan to strengthen AIME as a valuable and important trade association for the interactive media and entertainment industries.

A fraudulent email about Phonepayplus has been circulated – please disregard

It has come to our attention that a fraudulent email has been sent to a number of industry participants from an unknown source suggesting the resignation of PhonepayPlus’s Acting Chief Executive. This is not true.

For more details please read the statement given by PhonepayPlus this afternoon: http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/News-And-Events/News/2015/1/Fraudulent-email.aspx

 

Ordanduu & Optimus Mobile v PhonepayPlus: Judgement goes against PhonepayPlus

In light of  today’s ruling in the High Court between Ordanduu and Optimus vs PhonepayPlus AIME’s intial response is as follows:

As a result of the Emergency Procedures that PhonepayPlus deployed in 2013 and prior to the instigation of this legal challenge,  AIME Executive and Board worked extensively with PhonepayPlus to develop guidance for the premium rate industry that utilise digital marketing, particularly with affiliates.

AIME also collaboratively developed an early warning system for reporting instances of mobile malware, misleading affiliate practices and other tactics that would damage advertisers and create risk for consumers. This enabled responsible advertisers to investigate and deal with affiliate and other digital marketing fraud aimed at themselves, but affecting consumers in process. This tool is being actively used by industry.

The area of affiliate marketing as a promotion tool for connecting with mobile consumers exploded in 2012/13 and the risks to advertisers from affiliates who set out to mislead consumers or create malware was little understood by all parties. AIMEs role in assembling industry collaboration has resulted in a marked reduction in rogue affiliate issues affecting premium rate service marketing and we continue to monitor and react to the issue.

AIME also engaged extensively with senior representatives of PhonepayPlus to encourage and support a  review of their enforcement procedures, the skill and independence of the code compliance panel and the robustness of adjudication case preparation in light of new technology and new ways for consumers to utilise premium rate services via the burgeoning growth in smartphones.

PhonepayPlus has demonstrated willingness to engage with industry on these matters while still prioritising its consumer protection remit and remaining independent.

AIMEs Chairman Edward Boddington said “It is vital for the premium rate industry that we have an effective regulator to ensure a stable operating environment for the companies that wish to provide consumers with great products, transparent pricing and honest marketing and the regulator should keep at bay the miscreants who are determined to wreck the industry and remove consumer confidence. AIMEs objective for its members is to ensure that PhonepayPlus has robust mechanisms to remove harmful products while applying efficient and precise procedures that will survive any legal challenge. Maintaining that balance is a tough role to play and AIME has encouraged and will continue to support PhonepayPlus.

 

Judicial Review with Ordandu and PhonepayPlus reach conclusion

Ordanduu & Optimus Mobile v PhonepayPlus: successful judicial review and award of Francovich damages against the UK premium rate services regulator

This legal case reached conclusion today and news is starting to spread about the outcome of the case. AIME is currently analysing the potential impact of the case on PhonepayPlus and its procedures and will report directly to AIME Members.

A summary of the Judicial Review outcome is available here:

http://www.monckton.com/r-ordanduu-optimus-mobile-v-phonepayplus-2015-ewhc-50-admin-successful-judicial-review-award-francovich-damages-uk-premium-rate-services-regulator/

PhonepayPlus have also released a press statement after today’s results here: http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/News-And-Events/News/2015/1/Ruling-on-Ordanduu-GmbH-and-Optimus-Mobile-GmbH-v-PhonepayPlus.aspx

Telemedia News commentary on the outcome can be found here: http://www.telemedia-news.com/newsitem.aspx?id=5093