After several weeks of discussion in the French Parliament, the draft law on copyright and related rights went up to the French Senate where it is being debated from the 4th of May on a calendar that continues until the 12th. The project was adopted on March 21 by the French National Assembly and one of the hottest points of the discussion focused on the interoperability of music files.
Validation by law of the possibility for users to bypass the protection systems introduced in music purchased in stores online Apple’s iTunes has even led the brand to threaten to withdraw from this market.
Apple went so far as to call the case «state-backed piracy» and its supporter was US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. The American brand, which holds about 70% of the market in this sector, made its position clear, stating that it will not stop selling protected files through iTunes.
With the passage of the bill to the French Senate, 256 new amendments will be analyzed, which, if not approved by the National Assembly, should be debated until a consensus is reached.
It should be recalled that the text approved at the meeting foresees an increase in the penalties for violating copyright on the Internet, particularly with regard to the use of P2P, but also with regard to the issue of private copying of legally purchased content, which be prohibited.
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2006-03-17 – French parliament toughens sanctions for online piracy
2006-03-14 – iTunes exclusivity threatened by new French law on intellectual property
