French parliament plans to tighten copyright laws

On 17 March, the French parliament agreed after a long, controversial debate on a bill for tightening the copyright laws. The main issues were the legal treatment of peer-to-peer networks, systems for digital rights management, and the right to make a private copy of CDs and other digital media.

If the bill is accepted next Tuesday, the distribution of peer-to-peer software which enables the unlawful exchange of protected music and videos will be punished with a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine of up to 300,00 euro. Critics like the European Copyright Directive (EUCD) expect collateral damages for Open Source software, as this is also distributed via file sharing technologies, which could also be used for unlawful purposes.

It is obvious that the lobbyists from Vivendi-Universal and other major owners of digital content have achieved most of what they wanted. Although it is perfectly understandable that the media industry want to protect their property from illegal copying, the effect will be negative not only for P2P pirates but also for honest consumers and the media industry itself. DRM software will inhibit more and more the rights of consumers to enjoy the digital content they bought. It is, thus, foreseeable that sales of CDs and DVDs will continue to decrease. The French legislative is ill advised to focus on the needs of the media producers and neglect the rights of consumers and citizens.