Web piracy? ‘C’est fini’
MEDIA LAW ------------------------ French lawmakers vote for tough punishment for illegal downloaders PARIS - French lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a tough Bill to combat Internet piracy by cutting off the Web to illegal downloaders, after one of the sharpest debates of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency. The National Assembly, dominated by Mr Sarkozy's right-wing party, passed the Bill by a vote of 296 to 233 and the measure was set to go before the Senate for final approval yesterday. The legislation, described as one of the toughest drafted against Internet piracy around the world, would punish those who pirate music and film by shutting down their access to the Internet for up to a year. The Bill enjoys broad support from the music and film industry in France and abroad, but consumer groups and the Socialist opposition have warned it will be difficult to implement. Under the Bill, a state agency known by the acronym Hadopi will be set up to track and punish those who pirate music and movies on the Internet, serving as a go-between for content providers and Internet service providers. It will set up a "three-strikes" system for offenders who first receive an email warning, then a letter and finally lose their Internet account for up to a year if they are caught a third time. Socialist deputy Patrick Bloche, who voted against the Bill, called it a "law of intimidation" that amounted to "a lose-lose situation for artists and for Internet users". Supporters hope the Bill will wean Web users away from pirated films and music, and towards fledgling legal download sites. More than 10,000 French filmmakers and musicians, from Johnny Hallyday to Catherine Deneuve, have signed a petition backing the Bill while the Directors Guild of America has thrown its weight behind the measure. Consumer groups say the Bill is unnecessarily harsh on downloaders who would still have to continue paying their Internet subscription fees after they are cut off. AFP From TODAY, World – Thursday, 14-May-2009
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