France has managed to pass a law through Parliament against Internet piracy but not without some hassle, they faced massive opposition from protesters who are against internet restrictions.
Still, the creation of a new state agency, the Higher Authority for the Distribution of Works and the Protection of Copyright on the Internet (HADOPI) or to be more precise “Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des oeuvres et la Protection des Droits sur Internet” has the backing of French President Nicolas Sarkozy as well as the entertainment industry.
Apparently, those in favour reckon the French solution to Internet piracy could be a model for other countries and it will remind us all that although things can appear to be free on the internet, they do in fact come with a price.
Not everyone is in favour of the new law but according to Michel Thiolliere, a member of HADOPI and a French Senator, if people had the law explained to them properly then they would understand it.
The implication of course is that we don’t understand it. I’m sure we all understand perfectly well what it means, but whether the new law represents any sort of deterrent or not is another matter altogether.
Anyway, what this new law means is that people will be given a chance to put things right, or indeed to find another way of downloading illegal content before there is anything too drastic happening.
In the first instance, if you are caught downloading illegal content you will be sent a warning email. Now you know they’re on to you.
Next time you do it they will go one step further to hammer home the seriousness of your offence and send you a letter in the post.
Finally if you keep on persisting you will end up in front of a judge who will have the power to impose a fine and suspend your internet access.
“The internet is a fabulous world, but it needs rules, if you want to get cinema, music or video games in the future” says Thiolliere as reported by the BBC.
“What we think is that after the first message… about two-thirds of the people (will) stop their illegal usages of the internet.
“After the second message more than 95% will finish with that bad usage.”
So what he’s basically saying is that an email and a letter is going to be enough to stop practically everyone from continuing to download what they shouldn’t be.
Somehow I just can’t see it, can you?
