TorrentFreak reports about a surprising turn of events in the French “piracy war”:
Last week, the French Parliament passed a new law requiring Internet service providers to cut off Internet access for persistent copyright offenders. Since the parliament voted in favor of the law, everyone – including the most fanatical critics – believed that it would easily pass through Senate and the National Assembly today – but it didn’t.
Nicolas Sarkozy, a stark supporter of the law, was quoted saying that the law is “a decisive moment for the future of a civilised internet“ which will eventually succeed because it is a solution agreed upon by the authors, the studios and the internet providers. I don’t share the president’s confidence nor his enthusiasm about the law. I hate to be the one to… well, in honesty, I love to be the one to spoil the party. One side is missing here. Copyright is not a domain of studios, authors and distributors alone. Copyright mostly has to do with users – the ones who might actually make “copies” and use the works protected by copyright.
But as things stand, the policy makers address the “piracy issue” precisely with the mindset expressed by Sarkozy. If it’s “a war on piracy” then there is little chance of inviting the “enemies” to the policy-maker’s table. The online “pirates” are generally not even given the respect of being an enemy of war. They are approached as uncivilized terrorists (who oppose to Sarkozy’s “civilized internet”). And, of course, we do not negotiate with terrorists.
As a consumer researcher interested in consumer culture my aim is to correct this imbalance. Together with my colleagues we have embarked on a journey of exploring the user’s side of story. Yes, we are sleeping with the enemy. In fact, most of us are the enemy. You will hear much more about our efforts on this blog in the weeks to come.
This is a complicated question which deserves a separate post. To put it shortly, I would say… NO!
1) In its core piracy is about users not providers (Did shutting down Napster end piracy? Plus we’re nowhere close to shutting PB down, here!)
2) We shouldn’t confuse law with morality. If anything, Lessig makes this point, “piracy” has taught users that morality and the law are two separate things (read http://www.digital-rights.net/?p=2407)
3) There are reasons for piracy beyond wanting a “free lunch”. The industry should examine the fairness of their own operations (prices, distribution system, etc.) if we are to reach a “moral consensus”…
By: Domen Bajde on April 28, 2009
at 6:38 am
I know there is lot to read about the Pirate bay Trail right now. But what is your thought about the ending of the pirate bay trail? Is it really the first big step(and a moral one) against piracy?
By: PK on April 23, 2009
at 7:19 pm