French Socialist Party against Three Strikes

The Secretary of the major Socialist Party in France, Martine Aubry, has expressed fierce criticism with regard to the so-called Three Strikes Act. According to Ms. Aubry, the act should be repealed. 

Under the Three Strikes Act illegal file sharers can be denied internet access after they have received at least two warnings for copyright infringing acts. 

Martine Aubry says there are better ways to ensure artists get paid for their copyright protected works. Instead of the controversial Three Strikes Act, she proposes the introduction of a global license (also known as ‘blanket license’) to be put on ISPs.  This means the end user will pay a fee to his ISP for the use of copyright protected material. This “ISP tax” can subsequently be transferred to rights holders. According to Mme. Aubry’s plans, this fee does not vary depending on how much music from the repertory the person actually uses.

It’s interesting to see whether or not the Three Strikes Act will change or be repealed, due to the statements of the Socialists. The French Socialist Party has been around since 1969 in France and ended up second in popular support in the French election of 2009. Maybe the Social Party will indeed be heard. We will have to wait and see.

Reference: Techdirt.com