New French Government Not Impressed By Hadopi; Wants To Cut Its Funding
from the reality-catches-up dept
Hadopi, the French 3-strikes program that was "the model" for what the recording industry to push around the world -- trying to get countries to force ISPs to kick people offline after three accusations (not convictions) of unauthorized file sharing -- was one of Nicolas' Sarkozy's key programs. During the recent elections, his competitors certainly hinted that they were less impressed by Hadopi, and now that the Francois Hollande administration is in control, it seems that drastically cutting back Hadopi is in the cards. The new culture minister, Aurelie Filippetti, has made it clear that she is not impressed by Hadopi, arguing that it's a huge waste of money for the government, and is on the chopping block as far as funding goes. Furthermore, she thinks the basis of the program, kicking people offline, goes way too far.“In financial terms, 12 million euros a year and 60 officers, it’s an expensive way to send a million e-mails.... As part of budgetary efforts, I will ask that funding of Hadopi is greatly reduced.”Furthermore, she noted that kicking people offline seems "a disproportionate sanction," with little evidence that it supports "the end goal." What's that goal? To increase legal access. As we've noted in the past, while Hadopi tried to declare success, the data shows no increase in sales, which certainly suggests a failure.
What happens next will be worth watching. Some suspect that the government won't actually kill off Hadopi, because it's dependent on support from the local entertainment industry. But that may be the least of its concerns. If France actually scales back or scraps Hadopi, expect the legacy US entertainment industry to go absolutely crazy, followed by "diplomatic pressure" from the US, and ridiculous claims that France "doesn't respect" culture and the like. We've seen it before in places like Spain, Sweden, Canada and Israel when those countries put in place copyright regimes that the legacy players didn't like, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the same thing happen in France.
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Filed Under: aurelie filippetti, france, funding, hadopi, three strikes
Reader Comments
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Basic stuff there Mike.
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No, chopping block implies a cut - which is what is likely to happen.
It is you that is lacking reading comprehension.
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This is just Karate Mike trying to sell us his Karate-Apologist chopping blocks.
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The French will roll over to the Big MAFIAA Industries.
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Hadopi seemed to be a pet project of Sarkozy. New politicians, new priorities.
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Maybe they should start investing some of their own.
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Let's not forget the free $32 million content ID system.
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Fucking hypocrits.
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Seriously, my best friend is French and tells me with complete seriousness that he and the rest of his people despise American culture a.k.a Hollywood. After watching a few French movies, I gotta say, I agree with him. So much better in absolutely every way.
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FTFY
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I agree on the French movies, City of the Lost Children and others made by the same group are among my favorites, they just have this style to them you almost never see in US movies.
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Me too. French films tend toward being truly excellent and demonstrate that even mainstream (as in non-arthouse) film can be art. Hollywood films are, with some exceptions, garbage -- and even the best of Hollywood fails to rise to the same heights as the best of the French.
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American culture is extremely popular in France and has been since the second World War.
There IS a French elitism that despises Hollywood, Hip Hop and McDonald's. That's a very tiny snotty minority. And the exact same minority in the U.S. would despise Hollywood and McDonald's just as much. And probably praise something French.
American movies, music, literature, fashion and food sell very well and are generally very popular here in France.
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TFP says that the world despises the US and US culture. Anonymous Coward responds that in France, that's not really true, that they like a lot of US culture.
Then you chime in with "so your'e saying that if it's popular it must be good?" No, clearly Anonymous Coward DID NOT say or imply that. He only refuted the claim that US culture is disliked. Never tried to make an argument that it was good. Don't try to change the argument to suit your agenda.
Sorry, that was giving you too much credit as if you knew what you were doing. I should say " don't just into a debate unless you're intelligent enough to understand what's already been said."
FAIL.
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May I propose a reasonable solution
Reduce Hadopi funding so it has zero staff. (eg, a shell)
Make it the only official piracy enforcement mechanism in the country.
That solves two problems with one stone.
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Re: ridiculous claims that France "doesn't respect" culture and the like.
Look at Toulouse la Trec. He was a midget!
Then there was van Gogh who painted his hallucinations and became famous. We put people like that in asylums fer cryin' out loud!
Matisse and a bunch of others couldn't paint, so they just put dots on the canvas, or smeared some oils on. I can't tell it from the grade school paintings!
Paul Gaugin doesn't count. He left the country before he got on a roll.
And they all painted nekked people. Couldn't afford clothes, I guess. They starved them all in garrets, whatever those are.
Even back in the Stone Age, somebody daubed up a bunch of unlikely looking critters in a cave at Lausanne that just don't measure up to Real Cave Paintings!
Those Frenchman ain't got no class!
[Satire for the humor impaired.]
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The government's budget is a giant mess and they are going to try and slash as many programs as they possibly can.
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Says it all about HADOPI, really. The usual trolls are furious.
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Anyone want to bet that months down the road, Paywall Bob and the Techdirt Trolls will be singing a remix of an old number? That HADOPI, like DMCA, burdens the rightsholders too much and Big Search funded and bought the law at their expense?
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I'm pretty sure your founding fathers would be turning in their graves for how you've allowed the destruction of their 'Declaration of Independence'.
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