[ColumbiaJournalismReview] French antipiracy efforts unsuccessful

Posted on


The French government started cracking down on illegal downloading, so users switched to illegal streaming. […]

After two years in action, Hadopi has been found to be ineffective and expensive. Its 60 bureaucrats have spent more than 10 million euros per year warning 1.2 million French Internet users that their downloading habits are illegal. According to its own report released in September, the program has caused French netizens simply to switch from illegal downloading to illegally streaming their favorite movies, shows, and music. […]

It’s censorship,” said Jérémie Zimmermann, cofounder of digital rights activist group La Quadrature du Net. He wants the commission to recommend legalizing peer-to-peer sharing. “If the law has a problem with common social practices, it’s not the people who must change, but the law,Zimmermann said. […]

http://www.cjr.org/cloud_control/failure_of_french_antipiracy_e.php