Trade association the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) will launch a European chapter in Paris Thursday night.

The new chapter will work in conjunction with the established MEF Asia, MEF Americas and MEF Global boards “to create local trade development opportunities for its members and focus on legislation affecting the industry.”

Telecoms.com likes to think that it had a hand in the decision to open a European office. Back in May we warned that as a proponent of open standards the MEF, along with its peer associations such as the Open Mobile Alliance and the MPEG LA, needed to be awake 24 hours a day to combat the threat of proprietary technologies being used as the de facto solution for locking down mobile content.

At the time, telecoms.com was being continually referred to persons in the US representing said organisations to get comment on issues close to the organisations’ hearts – mobile content and digital rights management (DRM).

But we wonder whether the organisation has taken the mobile content and DRM hint fully on board. The European station’s list of priority activities includes the controversial Television without Frontiers (TWF) amends and the recently announced Child Safety & Mobile Phones regulation.

Already, industry analyst Frost & Sullivan has issued a warning that proprietary DRM will put a strangle-hold on the growth of mobile content. By virtue of it being proprietary it will not gain access to its maximum distribution potential, the analyst believes.

Update: The MEF has been in touch and assures us that mobile DRM is very much on the agenda.