You may have heard about the French Assembly passing Sarkozy’s mad « three-strikes » bill, which will allow big media companies to force ISPs to disconnect you by accusing you of copyright infringement (without even having to produce proof). Jeremie Zimmermann, a leading French activist opposed to the bill, has a good analysis of the problems it will face, even having passed:
* HADOPI is legally dead because it opposes to fundamental principles of French and European law, […]
* HADOPI is technically dead because it entirely relies on identifying users through their IP address that can be altered or high-jacked in many ways. […]
* HADOPI is dead in the media because government’s propaganda didn’t stand for long under close scrutiny from citizens over the net6 and to the aware consideration of a few critical elected representatives. […]
* Finally, HADOPI is dead politically, right in the middle of an « Hadopigate » revealing unhealthy collusion between Minister of culture and big media close to the president Sarkozy, everybody within the majority already understood that this text is a ball and chain they will have to drag along for a long time.
French « three-strikes » copyright law passes — but may be dead anyway