French illegal downloads agency Hadopi may be abolished

[+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹]

The French Government is set to shut down its police service into illegal downloads, after the new government described the service as "expensive", "disproportionate" and failing to achieve its aims.

The agency, Hadopi, was set up in 2009 by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to run a "three-strikes" policy that would see illegal downloaders stopped from using the internet for one year after three offences.

According to recent statistics, Hadopi has sent 1 million warning emails, 99,000 "strike two" letters and identified 314 people for referral to the courts for possible disconnection. No one has actually been disconnected.

According to Aurelie Filipetti, culture minister in the new French Government, Hadopi has been nothing but a waste of money.

"?12 million per year and 60 officials; that's an expensive way to send 1 million emails," Filipetti said. "Hadopi has not fulfilled its mission of developing legal downloads. I prefer to reduce the funding of things that have not been proven to be useful."

Filipetti also described the three-strikes penalty as "disproportionate".

According to Variety, there is some evidence that Hadopi's existence did slow piracy in France. One claim suggested that consumer awareness of Hadopi caused iTunes music sales to increase by around 25 per cent in France; a growth rate better than that in other European territories.

The new French President Francois Hollande has vowed to focus on commercial piracy rather than individuals.

Source: C|Net

[+John Teacake MVC]

Why dont they let people download what the **** they want and tell the so called stars or celebrity's to expect to be payed less!

[thealexweb]

Wow that lefty nut job actually did something right 0.o

[smooth_criminal1990]

Why dont they let people download what the **** they want and tell the so called stars or celebrity's to expect to be payed less!

The stars don't complain half as much as the record companies.

Also I heard that Hadopi was working as far as reducing piracy, but sales of media were not significantly increasing. Surely proof that piracy was not murdering profits and destroying livelyhoods of many "poor" record/movie companies.

Edit: Source here http://www.ghacks.net/2012/04/01/hadopi-cut-piracy-in-france-but-sales-down-as-well/

[Aethec]

Wow that lefty nut job actually did something right 0.o

Just because someone doesn't have the same ideas as you do doesn't mean they are insane and do every wrong thing.

[Azusa]

The stars don't complain half as much as the record companies.

Also I heard that Hadopi was working as far as reducing piracy, but sales of media were not significantly increasing. Surely proof that piracy was not murdering profits and destroying livelyhoods of many "poor" record/movie companies.

Edit: Source here http://www.ghacks.ne...s-down-as-well/

Was about to say something like that and wasn't it Nine Inch Nails that put out an album onto the pirate bay and got crucified by their label?

[+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹]

Also I heard that Hadopi was working as far as reducing piracy, but sales of media were not significantly increasing. Surely proof that piracy was not murdering profits and destroying livelyhoods of many "poor" record/movie companies.

Edit: Source here http://www.ghacks.ne...s-down-as-well/

I'd take those numbers with a huge grain of salt.HADOPI's numbers come from the IFPI and ALPA, two organisations who have form when it comes to massaging the figures.

[FloatingFatMan]

Was about to say something like that and wasn't it Nine Inch Nails that put out an album onto the pirate bay and got crucified by their label?

Most artists don't own the music they make. In many cases, it's written by professional music writers, and even when the artists themselves write it, it's almost always the record labels who actually own it.

For many, they only really get money out of their music when they go on tour. Cash from record sales feeds the fat cats.

[Vykranth]

Also I heard that Hadopi was working as far as reducing piracy, but sales of media were not significantly increasing. Surely proof that piracy was not murdering profits and destroying livelyhoods of many "poor" record/movie companies.

May be the part of the Hadopi law about publicity and education regarding the effect of piracy had a greater effect than the repressive side of the law.

Improvements in the quality of on-demand services and legal music platforms might be also a cause of reduction of piracy.

At some point, if it is easier to buy music/movies from legal providers than to go to pirate sites, piracy will be reduced naturally.

[smooth_criminal1990]

I'd take those numbers with a huge grain of salt.HADOPI's numbers come from the IFPI and ALPA, two organisations who have form when it comes to massaging the figures.

Wow that's ironic, their claims of reduced piracy and the fall in media sales actually make piracy look less damaging (ignoring the switch to different forms of "piracy" such as streaming). That said, they'll probably keep on chasing after it regardless. Gotta love politics!

[kazuyette]

I'm a french frog and let me say one thing about hadopi : GOOD RIDDANCE ! :D The hadopi was only created to please some friends of the former president and never did anything productive to really fight piracy. It was flawed from the start and destined to fail anyway.

[Azusa]

If France goes on to legalize loli then i know where im moving to.

[Growled Member]

Well, that's good news.