French Anti-Piracy Law Poses Questions about Protecting both IP Rights and Technological Freedoms

agray — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:39:00 GMT

Earlier this month, the French Parliament approved the HADOPI or anti-piracy Creation and Internet Law which would have disconnected repeat copyright infringers from the Internet.

The law would have operated under a three strikes policy. After a person received two warnings about downloading copyrighted material, the state would have their Internet permanently disconnected on the third violation. In addition, the new law could order ISPs to block downloading sites such as The Pirate Bay.

Since the measure passed through Parliament it was expected to easily pass through the French Senate and National Assembly and become law.

In a twist, the National Assembly rejected the measure by a vote of 21 to 15. The surprisingly high number of opposition votes stemmed from deputies in the Socialist party changing their position.

In a recent survey, one in four French Internet users admitted to regularly downloading copyrighted material. Sixty-nine percent of the people surveyed also believe that the law will fail to stop online piracy.

The European Parliament opposed France’s “three strikes” legislation, but all nations of the EU also support intellectual property (IP) rights—by national law and international agreement. While the European Parliament is defining Internet access as a “fundamental freedom,” that freedom should not include the freedom to steal IP.

A government’s permanently removing someone from the Internet smacks of an excessive form of virtual exile. But what then is the solution to protecting Intellectual Property rights? Thoughts? Share in the comment section below.

The Voice of Innovation : IP, intellecutal property

French Anti-Piracy Law Poses Questions about Protecting both IP Rights and Technological Freedoms