Are you based out of Paris? Did you download your favorite music collection from Limewire or any other P2P software? According to a new pact between French Internet Service Providers, the government and film and music rights owners, you’re Internet access could potentially be barred.
According to the new agreement, users will receive a warning for each illegal download and if they repeat their “mistake” for three times, they could loose their Internet access.
I’m sure everybody is keen to find out answers two couple of key questions: why & how? Why is this being done? It is being used to target intruders who make multiple copies of music for profit. I’m also trying to explore how the authorities are going to differentiate between a torrent of legal software and copyrighted content.
The deal has invoked mixed reactions from experts and internet users. According to head of recording industry, John Kennedy, “This is the single most important initiative to help win the war on online piracy that we have seen so far”. French president Nicolas Sarkozy says, “The Internet must not become a high-tech Far West, a lawless zone where outlaws can pillage works with abandon or, worse, trade in them in total impunity. And on whose backs? On artists’ backs.”
On the other hand, French consumers’ groups and politicians, say that the deal is too restrictive. Needless to see the average internet user is unhappy. The project has not been voted yet. Before any action is taken there must be a legal complain of downloading on a specific file by the music producer. Not only that, the independent authority has to find downloaders of the file and warn them.
But the question remains: why would an ISP loose on customers? The whole scandal sounds like a breach of freedom of information.
I’m sure this will get the French protesters lining up.
