French Legalize Online File-Sharing
A French government crackdown on digital piracy backfired Thursday as rebel conservative lawmakers endorsed amendments to legalize the online sharing of music and film instead of punishing it.
The vote by members of France’s lower house dealt a setback to Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, who introduced the draft legislation. But it also unleashed a chorus of protests from showbiz and cultural celebrities in a sign that the amendments’ supporters may eventually be forced to back down.
Under the original proposals, those caught pirating copy-protected material could face euro300,000 (US$360,000) in fines and jail terms of up to three years.
But the amendments, voted in with the help of dissenting lawmakers from the governing UMP party, would instead legalize file-sharing by users who paid a royalties duty on top of their Internet subscription.
The plan would offer consumers all they can download for a suggested monthly fee of up to euro7 (US$8.50). Music labels and film distributors have suggested the proposal would break international laws on intellectual property.
Famous French actors and musicians lined up to condemn the surprise vote. “To legalize the downloading of our music, almost free of charge, is to kill our work,” venerable rocker Johnny Hallyday said in a statement.
Source: Business Week.
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