Matt, from AllPeers, pointed to an article from LeMonde.fr talking about the latest from the French National Assembly’s debate on revisions to their copyright law. With currently 40,000 beta testers registered and waiting to try this new peer to peer Firefox extension, I’m wondering what will be the future of this project and peer to peer, not only in France but probably later in Europe and in the world in general ?
The article goes on to explain that “le fait d’éditer et de mettre ’sciemment’ à disposition du public un logiciel permettant le téléchargement illégal ‘d’œuvres ou d’objets protégés’ est passible de trois ans d’emprisonnement et 300 000 d’euros d’amende” (”publishing and ‘knowingly’ making available to the public software that enables the illegal downloading of ‘protected works or objects’ is punishable by three years imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 euros”).
My reaction was predictably sanguine. I still don’t believe that anything we’re doing could be construed as illegal. Legislation of this type, in the same way as recent American judicial decisions, is clearly intended to sanction software that is explicitly designed to assist in the illegal transfer of copyrighted works. In fact, the discussion of the amendment in question actually makes reference to MGM vs. Grokster
