Common use of Actors Clause in Contracts

Actors. This section narrows the FLAME target down from the list of stakeholder categories to actors. Actor does not mean experimenter, but any stakeholder that can play a role in the FLAME platform. This section relates the FLAME stakeholders to the FLAME platform architecture depicted in Figure 14, detailing the interactions between them and the platform. In this way, the mentioned stakeholders become platform actors. 1. The following discusses the relationship with the platform for the different kinds of media service providers.  Content creators and producers; content publishers; production companies. This actor category will create contents that will be distributed by means of the platform. FLAME count on this kind of actor in its consortium since the media services imply the content availability. The content creation is linked to the creative industries and include a variety of profiles, like game studios, that are precisely involved in FLAME use cases as well as the specific FLAME partner scenarios.  Broadcasters. Broadcasters are often also content creators and producers. This actor category is also involved in the FLAME use cases and scenarios. Broadcaster main activity is the distribution of media content to final users. In this sense, this actor could be interested in taking advantage of FLAME platform features (stated in Section 2.5) to deliver its contents.  Content distributors and aggregators. This profile puts together contents and services coming from different broadcasters and content creators, as done by PayTV operators or broadcast network owners. In this sense, the interest in the FLAME platform of this actor category is the same than in the previous cases: to test the FLAME platform features for the media service distribution.  ▇▇▇ companies. As in the case of broadcasters, ▇▇▇ companies are focused on the distribution of contents to final users, but they use Internet for this purpose without any control or responsibility over the distribution and delivery network. ▇▇▇▇▇ proposed a new approach that implies the dynamic programmability of the delivery network to optimise the media quality. For this reason, ▇▇▇ companies can see in FLAME an opportunity to improve their service and take advantage of the new FLAME technological paradigms.  Access providers (cable, satellite, mobile, wired internet…). Unlike the ▇▇▇ case, this actor category operates the end-user access network. Currently, many telecom operators are becoming also media service providers to integrate more steps in the value chain. In this sense, although playing the role of platform user, the main interest of this actor will focus on the infrastructure (at the bottom of Figure 14) to validate the FLAME technological approach and to deploy such approach in its own network in the future. The case of mobile network operator is especially relevant due to key character of mobility in FLAME and to the use of geographically extended infrastructures, as mobile networks are.  Media technology vendors (HW and SW implementations): encoding, media servers, media streaming providers; media storage. This is a particular case of media service provider since its focus is not put on the media content but on the technology to enable the media content production, distribution and delivery. In this sense, this actor can act as technology provider for the platform and particularly providers of certain media component functionalities for the media services (see Figure 14), e.g., a transcoding software functionality. This actor can also play the role of platform user to test the performance of a certain product in the FLAME platform. Application developers. This actor category includes several roles and profiles too. Here, application must be interpreted in the sense of Section 6.1, where an application (or ‘app’) consists of a number of media components being utilized. One such component usually includes an application running on the user device to enable the consumption and enjoyment of the media service by end users. An application developer that wanted to test his/her application at the service endpoint would become a user (according to the blocks of Figure 14) and should additionally provide a media service to feed his/her application. The application developer actor category contains role such as web player suppliers, creator of interfaces for new media (e.g., VR or AR) and creators of second screen applications. These roles are closely related to FLAME. For example, AR is specifically addressed in FLAME use-cases. On the other hand, second screens are required to provide additional media content in mobile phones or to enable the enjoyment of media contents in mobility environments. A game developer is a particular case inside the application developer category although games in FLAME use cases do not only imply the service endpoint. Infrastructure providers, facility providers and equipment managers. These actors own (and probably exploit) the physical infrastructures (at the bottom of Figure 14) over which the FLAME platform is deployed. It must be taken into account that these actors are not regular telecom operators, but instead owners or managers of a physical infrastructure deployed in a certain geographical area, such as a city, a campus, a trade fairy or a sport stadium. These actors provide the infrastructure but in the case of FLAME replication, these actors will also integrate the complete FLAME platform, as depicted in Figure 14. agents that extract information from the user consumption and behaviour, they will interact with the platform by means of the provision of products for monitoring and for the compilation of measurements.

Actors. This section narrows the FLAME target down from the list of stakeholder categories to actors. Actor does not mean experimenter, but any stakeholder that can play a role in the FLAME platform. This section relates the FLAME stakeholders to the FLAME platform architecture depicted in Figure 14, detailing the interactions between them and the platform. In this way, the mentioned stakeholders become platform actors. 1. The following discusses the relationship with the platform for the different kinds of media service providers.  Content creators and producers; content publishers; production companiesNetwork function providers. This actor category will create contents that will be distributed by means of includes the platform. FLAME count on this kind of actor in its consortium since the media services imply the content availability. The content creation is linked to the creative industries and include a variety of profilesnetwork operators, like game studios, that are precisely involved in FLAME use cases as well such as the specific FLAME partner scenarios.  Broadcasters. Broadcasters are often also content creators and producers. This actor category is also involved in the FLAME use cases and scenarios. Broadcaster main activity is the distribution of media content to final users. In this sensetelecom operators, this actor could be interested in taking advantage of FLAME platform features (stated in Section 2.5) to deliver its contents.  Content distributors and aggregators. This profile puts together contents and services coming from different broadcasters and content creators, which we have already explained as done by PayTV operators or broadcast network owners. In this sense, the interest in the FLAME platform of this actor category is the same than in the previous cases: to test the FLAME platform features for the media service distribution.  ▇▇▇ companies. As in the case of broadcasters, ▇▇▇ companies are focused on the distribution of contents to final users, but they use Internet for this purpose without any control or responsibility over the distribution and delivery network. ▇▇▇▇▇ proposed a new approach that implies the dynamic programmability of the delivery network to optimise the media quality. For this reason, ▇▇▇ companies can see in FLAME an opportunity to improve their service and take advantage of the new FLAME technological paradigms.  Access providers (cable, satellite, mobile, wired internet…). Unlike the ▇▇▇ case, this actor category operates the end-user access network. Currently, many telecom operators are becoming also media service providers to integrate more steps in the value chain. In this sense, although playing the role of platform user, the main interest of this actor will focus on the infrastructure (at the bottom of Figure 14) to validate the FLAME technological approach and to deploy such approach in its own network in the future. The case of mobile network operator is especially relevant due to key character of mobility in FLAME and to the use of geographically extended infrastructures, as mobile networks are.  Media technology vendors (HW and SW implementations): encoding, media servers, media streaming providers; media storage. This is a particular case of media service provider since its focus is not put on the media content but on the technology to enable the media content production, distribution and deliveryaccess networks. In this sense, this actor can act as technology provider for the platform and particularly providers of certain media component functionalities for the media services (see Figure 14), e.g.play two different roles in FLAME. On one hand, a transcoding software functionality. This actor can also play the role of platform user media service provider that wants to test the performance distribution capabilities of a certain product in the FLAME platform. Application developers. This actor category includes several roles and profiles too. Here, application must be interpreted in the sense of Section 6.1, where an application (or ‘app’) consists of a number of media components being utilized. One such component usually includes an application running on the user device to enable the consumption and enjoyment of the media service by end users. An application developer that wanted to test his/her application at the service endpoint would become a user (according to the blocks of Figure 14) and should additionally provide a media service to feed his/her application. The application developer actor category contains role such as web player suppliers, creator of interfaces for new media (e.g., VR or AR) and creators of second screen applications. These roles are closely related to FLAME. For example, AR is specifically addressed in FLAME use-casestechnical approach. On the other hand, second screens are required to provide additional media content in mobile phones a network infrastructure provider for the access network or to enable for another point of the enjoyment of media contents in mobility environments. A game developer is a particular case inside the application developer category although games in FLAME use cases do not only imply the service endpointdistribution resources. Infrastructure providers, facility providers and equipment managers. These actors own (and probably exploit) the physical infrastructures (at the bottom of Figure 14) over which the FLAME platform is deployed. It must be taken into account that these actors are not regular telecom operators, but instead owners or managers of a physical infrastructure deployed in a certain geographical area, such as a city, a campus, a trade fairy or a sport stadium. These actors provide the infrastructure but in the case of FLAME replication, these actors will also integrate the complete FLAME platform, as depicted in Figure 14. agents Technology providers for city services. Although FLAME focus is put on media service, the FLAME platform could also support other kind of city services that take advantage of the FLAME benefits and the virtualised, programmable network deployed on the city physical infrastructure. These actors would interact with the FLAME platform in different ways, such as providing services as users or providing technology to deploy services supported on the FLAME platform. End users (home and business) / content consumers / customers. This category includes the stakeholders that extract information from the user consumption and behaviour, they . Final users will interact with the FLAME platform in the service endpoints, by means of the provision of products for monitoring and for the compilation of measurements.applications. Concerning