[x-pubpol] France Set to Dump 'Three Strikes' Law

[Joly MacFie]

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/France-Set-to-Dump-Three-Strikes-Law-124378

By Karl Bode

France was one of the first countries to impose laws that require ISPs
terminate the service of users who repeatedly engage in copyright
infringement. Under the rules, copyright offenders were tracked by a
newly-created taxpayer-funded agency dubbed Hadopi and a hired company
named Trident Media Guard (TMG). Hadopi then works with ISPs to obtain
personal information and send out warning letters or kick people off the
Internet. The program hasn't really slowed piracy, and the collected data
was the target of a hack
attack<http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2011/05/hadopi-gets-hacked/>
.

Hadopi was supported by ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, but new French
President Francois Hollande made it a campaign promise to eliminate the
three strikes program. As part of that promise Hollande assigned an
ex-entertainment industry executive named Pierre Lescure to study Hadopi.
The results of that study are out, and while it suggests three strikes be
killed off<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130513/13523923064/french-report-says-kill-hadopi-let-its-legacy-live.shtml>,
several bad ideas will remain, including user fines and a piracy tax on
smartphones and tablets:

Hadopi the agency would be done away with, but another agency would pick up
some of the responsibilities, it's just that they'd greatly decrease the
"punishment" aspect. Rather than losing internet access and having to pay
up to €1,500, you'd keep your access and fines would be topped at €60. But,
on top of that, there are other policies that Lescure suggests that seem
pretty bad as well, including extending the copyright levy (the "you must
be a criminal tax") to cover smartphones, tablets and any other connected
device.
There's of course nothing requiring the government enact any of the reports
recommendations. However, it's very clear that three strikes' shelf life
appears to be limited -- as is the entertainment industry's long push to
have repeat copyright offenders kicked off of the Internet.

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