The Register reports today that Nicolas Sarkozy will use the French presidency of the G8 to promote Internet regulation. Though the report seems to be based on hearsay, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is true.
France is currently engaging in the largest state and EU funded crackdown on illegal downloading. A government agency called HADOPI is policing the Internet for illegal downloads and copyright offences. Thanks to EU funding and aggressive lobbying by the French music industry, millions of letters are being sent out to possible rights infringers threatening them to stop illegal downloading on their Internet Service Provider connection.
A whole new industry has been created in France. Third party notification agencies are now making money just by sending out letters upon letters to alleged offenders – not validated or convicted illegal offenders. In the UK, the Digital Economy Act is set to face a judicial review in March. If the court decides for the DEA this could mean that potential rights offenders in the UK could face similar letters.
The article says that in a speech at the Vatican in October Sarkozy said, “Regulating the Internet to correct the excesses and abuses that arise from the total absence of rules is a moral imperative!"
Apparently at the G8 summit in May, Internet experts will be on hand to discuss possible options. Let’s hope this amounts to exactly nothing.
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http://profile.typepad.com/6p01156f33fa02970c T .England. Raised from the dead.