Defies a European Parliament measure passed last week prohibiting EU governments from cutting off a user’s Internet connection without a court trial, and which also observed that “Internet access is a fundamental right such as the freedom of expression and the freedom to access information.”
Today the French National Assembly formally passed the controversial “Creation and Internet” law by a narrow 296 to 233 margin.
The legislation, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, and surprisingly defeated in the same body last month, calls for the creation of the Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des Oeuvres et la Protection des droits sur Internet (HADOPI), a new govt agency whose task it would be to sanction those accused of illegal file-sharing.
Offenders would receive two separate warnings about their illegal activities before losing Internet access for from 2 months up to a year, with the names of the “three-strikers” appearing on a blacklist to prevent ISP shopping. To make the plan more palatable to ISPs concerned about the loss of revenue, disconnected file-sharers would STILL have to keep paying for their Internet service despite losing their connection.
Rival Socialists and others argue the law kills freedoms by denying accused Internet pirates the right to challenge the charges against them. Others fear it will pave the way for Big Brother-style intrusions by the government into the private lives of citizens.
The law’s approval in the National Assembly defies a European Parliament measure passed last week prohibiting EU governments from cutting off a user’s Internet connection without a court trial. The European Parliament also adopted Amendment 138/46 to a telcom package stating “that Internet access is a fundamental right such as the freedom of expression and the freedom to access information.”
Considering that Jérôme Bourreau-Guggenheim, who works for the French broadcaster TFI, was fired for “strategic differences” with his employer for expressing his opposition to the legislation to his member of Parliament, it’s no surprise the French govt is ignoring the European Parliament, at least for now.
The final adoption of the law is still subject to vote of the Senate, which is expected to take place tomorrow.
jared@zeropaid.com
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what have the French done for US lately?
Pretty much squat since french fries and toast
How can internet access be a right in EU countries where food, shelter, water and electricity are not rights and can be switched off just like in the US? If people don’t pay will their access be left on? That was a stupid thing for the EU to say, considering.
Once everyone is disconnected from the internet, the only thing left to do is march out on the streets and protest the new laws. That, in turn, would drive away investors in other industries once they see the instability. That will bring the already weak economy of France further down to its knees. Then, after the GDP fall further, faster, voters will vote them out for creating chaos on the streets and ruining the French economy. After that, a new party will be voted in and the three strikes law would be retroactively repealed.
Well… one hopes something like this will happen if it passes the senate. :\
that french president is a true french idiot !
doesn’t he give up stupid ideas
What has the US done for the world lately ? I mean apart from war and death !
How can they force you to pay for a service, that they are denying you the use of. That seems a bit absurd.
I just cant see how they are going to police this . With all the open wifi and internet cafes. I think it will just lead to more crime. People will start breaking into other peoples isp accounts. It’s gonna be messy.
A precedent has been set.
It’s only a matter of time before vested interests in other countries (particularly the wealthy ones) push for similar laws.
And so the battle between technology and money escalates.
It’s time to kill all French politians. Collect money from the Internet and buy thousands of hitmans from the former Soviet Republics. Drag them out from their fancy office and terminate them. I’ll do it for free, I hate them all. The French people should go out on the street and terminate every government institution. Destroy a entire city like Paris.