French reveal anti-piracy plans for online media

With the rise of online piracy continuing to be a serious concern for the world’s leading media-creation companies, French authorities have this week revealed plans to impose stringent punishment against anyone found illegally downloading copyrighted material such as movies or music. France reveals tough new anti-piracy policy against those caught illegally downloading movies and music. Credit: AJN.com

France reveals tough new anti-piracy policy against those caught illegally downloading movies and music. Credit: AJN.comMore pointedly, recently elected president Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that he is supporting a three-strikes-and-you’re-out approach to online piracy and illegal file sharing. The ultimate penalty for users found downloading media without proper payment or prior permission will be that their broadband connections will be removed entirely.The "three strikes" policy, which is to be adopted following an independent review, will see media offenders issued with e-mailed warnings to cease and desist in their activity. However, if those warnings are shuffled under the carpet in favour of continued illegal downloading, associated broadband accounts will be suspended and perhaps even closed completely.The piracy crackdown arrived as Sarkozy also unveiled a new deal with leading movie and music companies that will see access to cultural offerings boosted on the Web, reports UK newspaper The Guardian. Specifically, entertainment companies are to remove copyright protection on French content, which will allow home grown music and video media to be played through any and all computer systems and digital media players."Everywhere in the United States, in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, professionals and governments have tried for years to find the ‘grail’ to fight the problem of internet piracy," enthused Sarkozy regarding a deal that includes more than 40 notable French signatories, "We are the first, in France, to form a big national alliance around concrete and effective proposals."Despite Sarkozy’s backing of the new policy, some French groups have labelled it as unnecessary, especially as illegal downloading and file sharing already carries with it a maximum of three years in prison.Media companies have embraced the proporal, however, offering that it is yet another victory in the war against the practice of file sharing, which has been blamed in the ongoing popularity drop attributed to music CDs and cinema box office receipts.