The most contentious part of France's three-strikes law has been the suspension clause: one (alleged) piracy offense too many and you're cut off from the internet. The country is backing off from that aggressive policy with a new decree banning disconnections. From now on, judges can only issue fines after the third violation. The Hadopi agency created alongside the law is also going away, with the Higher Audiovisual Council taking over its duties. France's Minister of Culture and Communication, Aurélie Filippetti, explains the softened penalty as a matter of focus -- it's large-scale piracy that matters, she says. While some would question the need for any graduated system, we're glad that France at least sees the bigger picture on digital bootlegging.
[Image credit: Fdecomite, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
