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French Assembly Rejects Three Strikes Bill

An anonymous reader writes "The French Assembly has rejected the Three Strikes bill (in French!) which would allow ISPs to cut off users found to have been downloading protected content after two warnings. Summary: the Sarkozy administration can go back with a new draft for approval by both chambers or try to get upper house approval of a softer version without the cutoff passed by the lower house."

35 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Hooray by jaggeh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thats strike 1

    --
    I would give everything i own for a little bit more.
    1. Re:Hooray by nicolas.kassis · · Score: 4, Funny

      No no no, the French government does not obey by it's own rules. They get unlimited attempts.

    2. Re:Hooray by H4rold · · Score: 4, Informative

      They actually will get another attempt that needs to go through Senate and the assembly. (not unlimited though)

    3. Re:Hooray by spagiola · · Score: 4, Informative

      Before you get too excited, be aware that the rejection was primarily due to the absence of several government-party members of parliament. The government intends to re-present the bill after the easter recess, and presumably will make sure that all its members of parliament show up. At that point, the law will presumably be approved.

      The government cannot re-present the exact same bill, however, so they'll have to make at least a few changes.

    4. Re:Hooray by PMuse · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dear god, please make it stop before I have to learn French legislative procedure just to read /.

      --
      "We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." --The American President (20.1.2009)
    5. Re:Hooray by JohnBailey · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Before you get too excited, be aware that the rejection was primarily due to the absence of several government-party members of parliament. The government intends to re-present the bill after the easter recess, and presumably will make sure that all its members of parliament show up. At that point, the law will presumably be approved.

      If that was the case, then why try to sneak it through, which is what got it rejected in the first place. If it was a formality that it would pass, then they would have followed the usual procedure and it would have already been passed.

      --
      It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.
    6. Re:Hooray by English+French+Man · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Keep in mind that there were 36 members of parliament who voted, where the assembly is made of 577... Being French myself, I watched the live stream. The president of the assembly was dumbstruck.

      Members of parliament also have other things to do than discussing and voting every law that goes through.

      That said, members of the assembly were a lot fewer than usual this morning. This could be because some members didn't want to vote this law (votes are public, and they don't want to face public opinion), so stayed the ones who intended to vote against this law, and too few of the ones whose party line was to vote for the law.

      --
      If I'm wrong, please correct me ; learning is better than being right.
  2. Mon amore ... by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 4, Funny

    "The French Assembly has rejected the Three Strikes bill (in French!)"

    I hate being rejected in French. The woman is always trying to say something like "get away you impudent fool", but it always sounds like they are saying they are dying to make love to me, and cannot wait to get to a hotel room.

    --
    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
  3. "Three Strikes?" Nevaire! by LaminatorX · · Score: 3, Informative

    As if the National Assembly would adopt a policy rooted in the Diversion Nationale de les Etats Unis.

  4. Re:in French! by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Those French, they have a different word for everything" - Steve Martin

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  5. Tres Bien by Ukab+the+Great · · Score: 5, Funny

    In keeping with French tradition, the disgruntled music industry executives must now start a riot in the suburbs.

  6. Actually, she is asking you to go to a hotel by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is just that being french she has to talk dismissily to americans, it is in the EU constitution. Brits suck up, Italians rob you blind, we dutch sell you drugs and the french talk down to you. Oh and the germans start wars you arrive to late.

    Sorry, but you have been missing out on a lot of free and high quality foreign babe sex.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Actually, she is asking you to go to a hotel by damburger · · Score: 4, Funny

      We do NOT suck up to Americans. Our politicians do. We get drunk and verbally abuse Americans.

      --
      If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
    2. Re:Actually, she is asking you to go to a hotel by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh and the germans start wars you arrive to late.

      Ah, that explains that classified ad that said "Woman seeks man for romance, invasion of Poland"

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  7. Here's what happened by Nicolas+MONNET · · Score: 5, Informative

    The opposition took advantage of the very low attendance by the majority party: a dozen opposition MPs showed up at the last minute (apparently coordinated by my deputy, Mr Bloche), preventing the majority from gathering its troops. The vote failed 15 to 21 (there are 577 members in the lower chamber).
    The law is not rejected for good, because the government can (and probably will) push for a second reading in both chambers, and it has a large enough majority to get it through. But this event is going to push the issue into the spotlight, and may also allow the European Parliament to once again vote its opposition to the principle (amendment 46 to the Telecom Package), while the opposition gains team.
    Indeed, just a few days ago, a few prominent actors and directors such as Catherine Deneuve or Victoria Abril signed an open letter opposing the law, thereby disproving the main talking point of the proponents: not all artists are united behind Sarkozy-Universal.

    1. Re:Here's what happened by lixee · · Score: 3, Informative
      --
      Res publica non dominetur
  8. Well Nevers' MP rejected it by Nicolas+MONNET · · Score: 2, Funny

    Christian Paul represents the Nevers' district, and he was one of the major opponents :)

  9. Re:!commonsenseprevails by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Common sense is *NOT* being punished when you get *ACCUSED* of doing something.

    I don't speak french, I haven't read the legislation, I am not a lawyer... but the talk on this site is that the problem with what they are trying to pass is that three strikes = three accusations. Court of law? Innocent until proven guilty (if that applies in France)? Proof that IP = Identity (and not some kind of spoof, tampered logs, etc)? All of that is gone by accusations.

    If your guilty of something, fine... but 3 accusations and your out? Fuck that noise. And you can say that in any language (not just french)

  10. Don't be too happy... by Lcf34 · · Score: 5, Informative

    (disclaimer: written by a native "is baseball a kind of dutch cheese?" country). The Assembly is now entering some holidays so press will enjoy the news for the next days, but be sure the law will pass in less than two months (as Mr. Sarkozy has personally expressed a deep interest into it). Even if a very unlikely situation would happen & the text is then supported by a minority and would never been voted as it is, the government has a magic kind of "execute order 66" to bypass assembly and will not be afraid to use it (they already done it). This is the kind of democracy we get in France since Mr. S has arrived where he wanted to!

  11. Re:!commonsenseprevails by andymadigan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Because it is easy enough to make it look like someone downloaded something illegally, when they really didn't. Also, if I remember correctly this law does not give the cut-off customer legal recourse (if you say they did something illegal, prove it in court or GTFO).

    --
    The right to protest the State is more sacred than the State.
  12. Spelling, Bad French, please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As much as I don't like him, it's "Sarkozy" with a "k", not a "c". And please trolls, stop the French sentences with a mistake in every one of them.

  13. Nicolas who...? by tygerstripes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the Sarcozy administration can go back with a new draft for approval by both chambers...

    Okay, but how would the Sarkozy administration react?

    Pedantic? Well okay, but is it too much to ask that they get the President's name right? Sheesh...

    --
    Meta will eat itself
  14. Re:!commonsenseprevails by Eunuchswear · · Score: 4, Informative

    this bill only addresses if you *break the law* and download copyrighted material

    No, this bill only affects you if you are accused by a private company of having broken the law - no attempt will be made of finding out whether you actual did download something, and you will not be informed of what you are accused of having downloaded, so you will be unable to defend yourself.

    Also it's not "three strikes and you're out" it's "one strike and you're out" - you may receive two warnings by e-mail if the HADOPI feel like it, but being e-mail nobody can be sure it'll get through.

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  15. Re:!commonsenseprevails by emocomputerjock · · Score: 5, Funny

    So you're perfectly ok with being kicked off the Internet for being accused of theft, regardless of whether or not you actually committed the act? I'm perfectly ok with you being kicked off the Internet for supporting that idea.

  16. This will change nothing in the long run by Radium_ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Don't fool yourself, this (temporary) rejection was only possible because some of the left wing party sneaked at the last minute to vote AGAINST the proposal. There were not enough right wing (government) politicians in the assembly to vote for it and the text was rejected.

    This, however, changes NOTHING in the long run: despite being a stupid, non-applicable, lobbied-by-the-SACEM*-to-maintain-the-outdated-cash-machine, this law *will* be accepted in the end, since the government has enough of its own members of the Assemblee Nationale to vote for it, regardless of what the other "deputes" do.

    When this stupid law is effective everybody loses, except maybe for recoding companies which will be able to seat for 20 more years on their obsolete business plan.

  17. Re:!commonsenseprevails by Eunuchswear · · Score: 2, Informative

    you may receive two warnings by e-mail if the HADOPI feel like it, but being e-mail nobody can be sure it'll get through.

    Sorry, that's one warning by e-mail and one recommended letter. So "two strikes".

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  18. In French??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "The French Assembly has rejected the Three Strikes bill (in French!)"

    Well, I guess we must be thankful they rejected it in French. Just think how awkward it would have been if they had rejected it in English, say, or Russian, or God forbid, Chinese.

  19. Re:Oh my God, Ponies! Viva La France... by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mon Dieu! petite chevals!

    There, fixed that for you.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  20. They-don't-even-play-baseball-there by Potor · · Score: 2, Interesting

    False! I have played baseball in France, more than once.

  21. Re:in French! by Shark · · Score: 2, Funny

    Non

    --
    Mind the frickin' laser...
  22. Re:LEARN FRENCH BEFORE TRYING TO CORRECT SOMEONE by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 2, Funny

    I surrender!

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  23. Pony is "Poney" in French by bebemochi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry to break it to y'all: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poney ("Pony" comes from the old French "poulenet", which meant "small colt".)

  24. Re:in French! by Hognoxious · · Score: 2, Funny

    Rejecting it in French is like wiping your ass with silk.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  25. Since when? by SteveFoerster · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since when is anyone in France against strikes?

    --
    Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org
  26. Am I missing something? by mikfire · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't understand why everybody is so happy when these bills fail to pass.

    Let them pass.

    And then accuse every member who voted for it of downloading copy righted material. Make sure you accuse some of the aides, secretaries, etc. too. Try your best to make sure every last governmental office is taken off line. Accuse several of the CEOs in the music and film industries too. I see all sorts of potential in this.

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