“France’s Assemblé Nationale voted in yesterday evening the DADVSI [Droit d’Auteur et des Droits Voisins dans la Société de l’Information], a rather hideous proposal which will most likely become law when France’s Sénat deems it constitutional and President Chirac signs it. Both of the latter are likely as the president is of the same majority right party (UMP) as the Assemblé Nationale. The New York Times (and Slashdot) have noted incorrectly that the law will contain clauses for interoperability required of iTunes and iPods, but those amendments did not make it into the final proposal voted on Thursday night. Read on for a breakdown of the law as it currently awaits, almost certain, approval,” Fabienne Serriere writes for TUAW. “This new law will forbid an individual from providing information about how to break any protection system, or the use of a technology that breaks a protection system. A quick breakdown of the proposed fee structure for breaking this law [follows].”
• 38 Euros: Fine for downloading a copy written work, per work.
• 150 Euros: Fine for sharing a copy written work with someone else.
• 750 Euros: Fine if you have in your possession and/or use a software that bypasses copyright protection.
• 3,750 Euros: Fine if you write software or provide information about bypassing copyright protection.
• 30,000 Euros and 6 Months in Prison: Penalty for those making available software or technology that bypasses copyright protection.
• 300,000 Euros and up to 3 Years in Prison: Penalty for making available any peer to peer software which “knowingly promotes piracy.”
“All in all the law does not penalize Apple, but with all the open source software available for the Mac platform, it will penalize Apple users,” Serriere writes.
Full article here.
Side-by-side English, French, German and Spanish versions of the DADVSI proposal: http://www.dadvsi.info/
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Related articles:
Apple’s options if French law forcing DRM interoperability passes – March 17, 2006
French law that would force Apple to open iTunes Music Store to non-iPod devices far from settled – March 17, 2006
If passed, French law would force Apple to open iTunes Music Store to non-iPod devices – March 15, 2006
Law that could have forced Apple to open iTunes Music Store to non-iPod devices blocked in France – March 14, 2006
French law would force Apple to open iTunes Music Store to non-iPod devices – March 13, 2006
So if I use iTunes to burn my DRM protected music to a CD. Then use iTunes to copy that music from the CD back to my hard drive in an unprotected form, I guess that means that I can be fined for owning iTunes?
And BTW, why are the French passing laws on this topic? I could swear that commerce and IP were EU purviews?
Then use iTunes to copy that music from the CD back to my hard drive in an unprotected form,
That’s 3,750 Euros right there, pay up.
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…that the law will contain clauses for interoperability required of iTunes and iPods, but those amendments did not make it into the final proposal..
Nice try Mafiasoft.
“copy of written work”….as in book; not music.
3,750 Euros: Fine if you write software or provide information about bypassing copyright protection.
Burning CDs (5x) from iTunes is NOT bypassing copy protection. It’s allowed within the copy protection. No fine.
Everyone go back to sleep.
Isn´t this why there are riots going on in Paris? Because students are afraid they will be penalized for owning an Apple iPod?
viva la revolution!!!
Isn´t this why there are riots going on in Paris? Because students are afraid they will be penalized for owning an Apple iPod?
viva la revolution!!!
Isn´t this why there are riots going on in Paris? Because students are afraid they will be penalized for owning an Apple iPod?
viva la revolution!!!
Isn´t this why there are riots going on in Paris? Because students are afraid they will be penalized for owning an Apple iPod?
viva la revolution!!!
Big business wins again. Stuff the consumer. Apple will not let you play your tunes on anything but an iPod. I just closed my iTunes account in disgust.
Only the French… another war they can’t win.
“a copy written work”, not “copy of a written work”. Sorry. This really should be “copyrighted”.
This is typical French legal hash. Long history of draconian copyright laws.
This law should definitely be copyrighted!
So what WERE you playing the tunes on JOhn?
Not to worry, I’m sure Micrapsoft will rent you some tunes.
Apple IS a big consumer advocate, that’s why you can own your songs for only 99 cents.
to JOhn:
JOhn, what do you want to play your iTunes music on – iRiver or a Samsung? Let me know if this is what you like, I have couple of those catching dust somewhere in a box in my house…that is before I tried an iPod. So, good luck you Napster, I suppose not disgusted with them, eh?
Some people really need a reality check!
MDN: “door” as in: Show the door to all the brain-damaged .wma users!
to JOhn:
JOhn, what do you want to play your iTunes music on – iRiver or a Samsung? Let me know if this is what you like, I have couple of those catching dust somewhere in a box in my house…that is before I tried an iPod. So, good luck you Napster, I suppose not disgusted with them, eh?
Some people really need a reality check!
MDN: “door” as in: Show the door to all the brain-damaged .wma users!
to JOhn:
JOhn, what do you want to play your iTunes music on – iRiver or a Samsung? Let me know if this is what you like, I have couple of those catching dust somewhere in a box in my house…that is before I tried an iPod. So, good luck you Napster, I suppose not disgusted with them, eh?
Some people really need a reality check!
MDN: “door” as in: Show the door to all the brain-damaged .wma users!
to JOhn:
JOhn, what do you want to play your iTunes music on – iRiver or a Samsung? Let me know if this is what you like, I have couple of those catching dust somewhere in a box in my house…that is before I tried an iPod. So, good luck you Napster, I suppose not disgusted with them, eh?
Some people really need a reality check!
MDN: “door” as in: Show the door to all the brain-damaged .wma users!
There aren’t much comments yet, but you’re in good position to win the Most Stupid Comment Award of the day
I’m as rabid a mac fan as the rest of you, but I see no reason why I should not be allowed to play music I get on iTunes on an iRiver if I want.
MDN word: Lot: a lot of you need to consider things from other people’s poitns of view who are not so Apple-obsessed.
The DADVSI is a European Union Directive that, as any EU Directive, is the result of a common decision of all EU Member States and had to be transposed to national law. So, this is not a French national initiative. France was even more than 3 years late, because article 13 reads as follows: “Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive before 22 December 2002”.
“Big business wins again. Stuff the consumer. Apple will not let you play your tunes on anything but an iPod. I just closed my iTunes account in disgust”
Then you’re an idiot. I use iTunes all the time, and I have never owned an ipod. Last I checked, CDs play in nearly everything….computers, CD Players…DVD players….game systems….
“All in all the law does not penalize Apple, but…it will penalize Apple users,”
So how are the French going to enforce it? Have checkpoints to screen citizens’ electronics? Or perhaps licensing & compliance inspections of all your gadgets?
Why don’t the French set up a Taliban state that simply bans music & video. That’d answer any copyright questions & make enforcement much easier.
Now this sounds completely reasonable and fair. i must apologize for all my criticism of the earlier “interpretations” of the law as rendered on this very web site….
This seems completely fair and Looooong overdue. Sure sheisters will complain. No more free lunch…
Viva la France! Here’s to hoping the rest of the world follows this model…