Past generations had the car radio, today the world’s youth have illegal downloads. Napster launched a revolution in P2P file sharing that has raised a whole generation with an entitlement to free music and movies, copyrights be damned.

Those who download via, say, Ares and torrent still buy music [probably through iTunes] and go to the cinema, but accessing content through the former has become such a norm of entertainment that it is unimaginable to be denied such a venue. But, alas, the people of France may face such a future.

A while back French President Nicholas Sarkozy attended a lecture on copyright theft by Denis Olivennes, a former boss of French retailer Fnac, and was actuated by Mr. Olivennes’ words to craft a law stopping such that. The law in question is the HADOPI act which will establish an agency by the same name dedicated to ending internet piracy. That is if it passes. The opposition Socialist have thus far stopped the legislation which is, not surprisingly, very unpopular with the young. But it may very well still become law. Most of the law’s framework has already been passed by both houses of France’s parliament, the Socialists were only able to block the remaining final passage in the lower house. The president is still committed to passing it later this month.

If it does indeed become law, HADOPI will be a new agency that will be empowered to request information from internet firms on costumers who have illegal downloaded content. The identified user will first be sent an e-mailing warning, then a letter and if they do not “cease and desist” still then the IPS address will be cut. Further, the user will be put on a industry blacklist for an equal period of one year, thus preventing him/her from signing up with another IPS for that duration. A little harsh.

What this end illegal downloads? It may be a deterrent for some, but it will mostly be ineffective. That is not my original assessment; but that of the president of ACSEL, a group representing French network firms; Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet.

First, users can still download content uploaded by non-French users. That fact ends the debate right there, but to elaborate further. . . Downloaders can sign up for anonymous and encripyted IPS addresses that will at least initially remain beyond HADOPI’s ability to identify.

HADOPI will have much more success if it can get other nations to follow suit. And that is where the danger lies.

Germany, worried about privacy, recently decided against adopting a similar law. But Italy’s government has said that it might copy the French. Britain is thought to be moving towards something similar; last year it declared its intention to reduce illegal file-sharing by 70-80% in the next two or three years.

A grouping of nations committed to ending piracy could greatly undermine the available content. For instance, a French-German agreement may prevent the people of both nations from downloading content from either nation. Add to that Italy, and Britain, and... you get the picture.

Non-French youth may be sanguine now about France’s doings, but they should keep watch that their governments do not follow suit. Or else the era of free and easy music and movies will come to a sad end.

Source: Trois strikes and you’re out.