Paris, January 8th, 2010 - Nicolas Sarkozy just announced that his government will seek to implement some of the recommandations of the Zelnik report. The report's main author is Patrick Zelnik, a producer and lobbyist for the music industry. The goal of these tailored provisions is to serve the interests of the President's friends. Although laughable, they reveal an alarming dogmatism in which the rights of the public and the general interest are denied in favor of a few helpless industries.... Mates come first!

Nota for English speaking-readers: the notion of a mutualised scheme is less familiar in English than in Latin languages (in part because of the use of "mutual" for companies). We use this expression for schemes where every potential user contributes equally to the funding of a global ecosystem of activities.

Two imperatives

1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.