French President Sarkozy Creates Government Agency To Fight Internet Piracy – French ISPs Will Now Police Their Networks
French President Sarkozy has signed an anti-piracy agreement that will create an independent government body which will police illegal file-sharing on the Internet. The new agency will have the power to issue a series of warning that could ultimately lead to the suspension or termination of internet subscriptions.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed in Paris by music producers, audiovisual producers, internet service providers and public authorities, involves concrete undertakings by all of the signatories. The agreement is the result of a wide-ranging negotiation on the fight against internet piracy and availability of creative content online, carried out by FNAC Chief Executive Officer, Denis Olivennes, at the request of the French Government.
“This is the single most important initiative to help win the war on online piracy that we have seen so far,” John Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of IFPI stated. “By requiring ISPs to play a role in the fight against piracy, President Sarkozy has set an example to others of how to ensure that the creative industries remain strong in difficult markets so that they can remain major economic and cultural contributors to society.”
Under the terms of the agreement, access providers have committed to experimenting with technologies to filter out infringing content on their networks. Record producers have undertaken to make a special effort in favor of interoperability, particularly with regard to music catalog produced in France. The independent government body will publish monthly the results of its anti-piracy actions so the effectiveness of the measures can be assessed.
The Future: This new Memorandum of Understanding will have far-reaching implications in other Western countries who will use this as a catalyst to create additional momentum for their own initiatives that require ISPs to police their networks for illegal activity.
