P2p file sharing is legal, says France
p2p news / p2pnet: In a major upset to the entertainment cartels which have been trying to sue people into buying 'product,' France has become the first country in the world to, "propose the legalization of P2P downloading," as the Association of Audionautes sums it up.
"The French Parliament voted last night to allow free sharing of music and movies on the Internet, setting up a conflict with both the French government and with media companies," says Bloomberg News.
"If the amendment survives, France would be the first country to legalize so called peer-to-peer downloading, said Jean-Baptiste Soufron, legal counsel to the Association of Audionautes, a French group that defends people accused of improperly sharing music files.
"The law would be a blow to media companies that increasingly use the courts worldwide to sue people for downloading or sharing music and movie files."
The government can overturn the amendment, either by re-opening debate or if the Senate votes it down when the bill moves to the upper house. French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres has asked that parliament re-open debate on the amendment today, says Bloomberg, quoting Agence France Presse.
Audionautes, founded by founded by French high-school and college students, says if the amendment goes through, the French Code of Intellectual Property will feature article L-122-5 stating authors won't be able to stop the online dissemination of their works in any format provided downloads are meant for private use only; and, there's no direct or indirect commercial exploitation.
Thes provisions were proposed by Audionautes and the Artist-Public Alliance.
Definitely stay tuned.
Source: P2Pnet.net
PARIS ( AP) - Revolt against representatives against the government. (Translated)
The National Assembly adopted during the night of Wednesday to Thursday two amendments to the bill on the copyright which legalize the exchanges of files between Internet users.
These two identical amendments, put down(deposited) by Alain Suguenot ( UMP) and Christian Paul ( PS), were voted by 30 voices(votes) against 28. The Minister of the Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres was set against these amendments. He could ask for a new consideration of these two amendments it on Thursday afternoon the resumption of the debate.
The representatives created by these two amendments an optional global license on Internet. This " global license " legalizes the exchanges of files between Internet users (" peer to peer " or P2P). These last ones would settle in exchange a flat-rate charge to access providers.
" The author cannot forbid the reproductions made on any support from a service of on-line communication by a physical person for his private custom(usage) and in not directly or indirectly commercial purposes, with the exception of the copies of a software others than the copy of protection(saving) ", the amendment Suguenot stipulates. These reproductions will be possible on the condition of being the object of a payment.
The associations of consumers and Internet users, partisans of this legal license, congratulated themselves on the vote of these two amendments. This vote " favor a logic of access to the culture and cultural variety in front of the strongly repressive logic lauded by the government ", estimated(esteemed) Consumption, accommodation and living environment ( CLCV).
The Odebi league, which made a petition circulate signed by 100.000 Internet users, asks as for her " the resignation of the Minister Donnedieu, after this hurtful denial which was imposed on him(her) by the majority of the representatives, beyond any political split(cleavage) ".
On the other hand, CFDT artists - interpreters' trade union reaffirmed his(her,its) " opposition the legalization of the exchanges protected on the Internet and in any shape of compulsory collective management which would be imposed on the artists interpreters without their agreement ". Such a legalization " would mean the death of the musical and broadcasting(audiovisual) industries of our country ", according to the trade union(syndicate).
The representatives, who stopped(arrested) their works in the first article, had to resume(take back) the examination of the text it on Thursday afternoon, to finish him(it) during the night of Thursday to Friday. The senators have to examine the bill at the end of January.
The bill on copyright in the information society, which transposes an European directive of 2001, has for objective to fight against the development of the music hacking and the films about Internet. He(it) authorizes the technical measures of protection of the works.
These systems, which already exist on certain CD or DVD, prevent the duplication of songs on the hard disk of a computer. They are also in place(square) on the services of sale of on-line music.
The bill legitimizes these systems of protection against the hacking. The distortion of the law will be liable to three years of prison and 300.000 euro of fine.
The bill, supported by the industries of the culture and the data processing, is criticized by the librarians, who see a questioning of the private copy, and by consumers' associations there, who dread a " hunting to the Internet users ". AP[/QUOTE]
i'm a member of the Odebi League. we did not made the petition, it's the EUCD.info initiative.
What the news doesn't speak about is that the french government used an old law to make a new vote, as if the first never exist, in order to withdraw the two amendments.
maybe this is the beginning of something interesting; relay the news... this might inluence other country who sues people who share.
Source: 
Originally Posted by twisterX
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