As speculation swirls in France over the future for Hadopi – or rather its likely lack of a future – its anti-piracy scheme has belatedly booted someone off the internet. Temporarily, at least. TorrentFreak reports that a French filesharer has been fined €600 and told they’ll be disconnected from the internet by their ISP for 15 days. Opponents of Hadopi are complaining that the court ruling is overly political in this case. “No one had been convicted to a suspension of Internet access, and we all believed no one ever would. With the recent conviction they can now claim they are right, and defend their new legislation,” suggests French journalist Guillaume Champeau. “The timing is really the best one possible for the Government. But was the sentencing totally independent, or did it follow instructions that suited a political agenda?” The filesharer has 10 days to file an appeal, so the punishment may yet be evaded. Meanwhile, the French government continues to mull a recent policy review by former Canal Plus president Pierre Lescure, which suggested disbanding Hadopi and replacing disconnection threats with fines.
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…