Copyrights must be protected by law

The French parliament passed the so-called Hadopi law on Tuesday with 296 votes to 233. The law is meant to put an end to illegal downloading of Internet files. The daily Le Monde takes a close look at the pros and the cons behind the new legislation: "This controversy has been raging for months, dividing artists and creators, embarrassing the political parties and disgusting (or amusing) Internet users. Whereas its supporters consider the law wise, even exemplary, its detractors consider it absurd and already obsolete. ... On the one hand we have the protection and survival of copyrights. ... Protecting creative work has been a fundamental principle in our society for several centuries, and this salutary principle must be defended at all costs. ... On the other hand ... is a new and invasive world, one which emerged around ten years ago, whose very philosophy ... reposes on the idea of free and universal access to contents. ... The arbitration and regulation proposed by the Hadopi law are thus legitimate in intention. But unfortunately the law risks becoming outdated as soon as it is applied."

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