Paris, May 6, 2008. La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) has obtained the latest version of the French Olivennes bill about “flexible response” against internet users, which is currently being studied by the State Council. [1] Its content is further evidence for the extremism of its drafters.
From the enactment by an administrative authority of a list of mandatory filtering systems – a policy worth of a Soviet economy – to the cutoff of Internet access without trial nor proof, through the extension of anti-terrorist measures against non-profit copying, not to mention the creation of a court of exception for copyright related disputes on the Internet… The Olivennes project demonstrates that France has truly become a laboratory for obscurantist lobbies.
“This text is contrary to European law, whether in the field of human rights or free competition.[2] It denies the social, economical and technical realities and demonstrates a serious lack of reflection concerning digital technology and related issues.” said Christophe Espern, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net); adding: “The persons who are driving this text are dangerous and incompetent. The interests they are defending are clearly not those of France nor Europe.[3] There is an urgent need to stop them before the French presidency of the EU…”
La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) therefore urges French PM, Francois Fillon, to intervene. The French institutions must stop dishonouring themselves, waste their time and taxpayers’ money trying to make the project acceptable using rhetorical tricks. The flexible response has already been condemned by the European Parliament as contrary to human rights in its very purpose.[4]
References
[1] Olivennes bill draft submitted to the Council of State
http://www.laquadrature.net/files/projet-de-loi-olivennes-version-pre-conseil-etat.pdf
For an analysis of this text in french :
http://www.laquadrature.net/fr/analyse-projet-olivennes-conseil-detat
See also the dossier (in french) on Olivennes bill :
http://www.laquadrature.net/fr/olivennes
[2] Report by criminal law professor Jean Cedras (new version with footnotes) about flexible response (in french)
http://www.laquadrature.net/files/rapport_cedras.pdf
[3] Study: Digital Economy: the head or the tail? [for France]
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/digital-economy-head-or-tail
[4] The European Parliament rejects the graduated response
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/european-parliament-rejects-graduated-response