Paris, 18th of November 2011 – Nicolas Sarkozy is attempting a sleight of hand at today's G8/G20 Forum d'Avignon on culture, economy and the media: posing as the defender of digital culture and the Internet. La Quadrature du Net reminds of his disastrous record, and calls on citizens to judge by themselves with the upcoming votes in the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, in particular on the anti-counterfeiting ACTA agreement.

Paris, June 15th, 2011 – Information website PC INpact revealed today a draft executive order which would give the French government the power to arbitrarily censor any content or service on the Net. The French government is furthering its policy to control the Internet, in complete disregard of citizens' rights and freedoms.

Paris, May 27th, 2011 – Today, the G8 released its final communiqué, which fails to offer balanced and concrete proposals regarding Internet policy. After convening an illegitimate eG8 during which special interests and governments came closer than ever, it is now clear that the G8 focus on Internet wanted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy comes down to a dangerous takeover of Internet governance.

Paris, May 24th, 2011 – The “eG8 forum” is a smokescreen behind which hides an alarming alliance of governments attempting to control the Internet and a few corporations making profits from restricting online freedoms1.

• 1. Every plenary and workshop at the “eG8 forum” is mostly filled with the event's corporate sponsors or officials from the French Government. The few folding chairs, hastily added for a few members of “the civil society”, will not fool anyone.

Paris, May 20th, 2011 – A detailed analysis of exchanges between the French President and his former Minister of Foreign Affairs on G8 related matters appears in tomorrow's edition of the French magazine Marianne. La Quadrature du Net has had access to sources that confirm the existence of a control-oriented policy, explicitly hostile to the support to the freedom of expression on the Internet, in blatant contrast with the farcical “eG8 forum” smokescreen. Governments must be made accountable for the positions they take on these issues when they speak behind close doors.

Paris, May 17th, 2011 – Next week, Nicolas Sarkozy will be convening the “eG8 forum”, just two days ahead of a G8 summit that will focus on Internet policy. Disguised as a pseudo-consultative process, this staged show could mask the actual will of governments to increase state control over the Internet. Beyond the smokescreen of the “forum”, citizens must hold world leaders accountable for their actions, and denounce the numerous ongoing attempts at undermining our freedoms online.

La Quadrature du Net, along with several artist and citizen organizations, calls on everyone to participate in creative action at http://g8internet.com.

The Minister of Culture1 and the Hadopi itself2 have been prompt to announce the launch of the Hadopi's operations: here we are, the Hadopi is ready to send its first mail to Internet users who have been caught in Trident Media Gard's nets, the private society empowered by rights holders representatives3 to monitor file sharing on peer-to-peer networks. However, analysis of enacted laws and decrees calls for more caution on this potential threat. The Hadopi might be unable to impose penalties, but it could be that the Hadopi should not even be authorized to send any warning without prior judicial ruling.

• 1. During Council of Ministers of July 28th 2010, the minister of Culture and Communication has claimed that: “The Hadopi is now ready to start its action. As an independent public authority, it will fix the suitable time to send by mail the first warnings to offenders, based on referrals transmitted by rights owners.” – throughout this paper, translation of French quotes and French law and decrees is made by the author.
• 2. “The Hadopi is ready to kick off its action with regard to three-strikes measures”, has said Marie-Françoise Marais, president of the Hadopi, during a press conference on Monday June 28th 2010.
• 3. Civil Society of Phonographic Producers (SCPP), Civil Society of Phonograms in France (SPPF), Society of Music Authors Compositors and Editors (SACEM), Society for Managing Mechanical Reproduction Right (SDRM) and Association for Fighting Audiovisual Piracy (ALPA).

Paris, September 15th 2010 - The Gallo report1 on strengthening copyright enforcement will be voted in the European Parliament on Wednesday, September 22nd. Even if non-legislative, this dangerous text relies on biased figures pushed by producers and publishers' lobbies to call for an extension of repression.

• 1. initiative report (non-legislative text) initiated by the French EPP -Member of Nicolas Sarkozy's party- Member of the European Parliament Marielle Gallo, "on enforcement of intellectual property rights in the internal market"

The European Parliament delegation led by Catherine Trautmann recently gave up on protecting EU citizens against arbitrary restrictions of their Internet access. In order to reach an agreement and avoid a clash with Member States, the Parliament retracted its support to the core element of notorious "amendment 138" : prior judicial decision before restrictions to access and usage of the Internet. This protection of citizens' fundamental rights against arbitrary restrictions of their Internet access came a long way. Here is a little restrospective on the "stations of the cross" of amendement 138.

(See also the rewording of amendment 138, preserving its core principles while adressing legal uncertainty, that was transmitted to MEPs last week)