---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: La Quadrature du Net <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 1:27 PM Subject: [opennetcoalition] Internet censorship against streaming in France? To: [email protected] Themes: JUSTICE, ECONOMY, CULTURE, INTERNET, STREAMING, CENSORSHIP La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release Permanent link: https://www.laquadrature.net/en/internet-censorship-against-streaming-in-fra... Internet censorship against streaming in France? *** Paris, December 1st, 2011 – Several French trade associations representing producers, publishers and video distributors are filing a case/injunction against Internet Service Providers and several online platforms, requesting that access be censored to several websites offering audiovisual works streaming [1]. “Resorting to censorship to fight streaming websites is a repressive slippery slope, both disproportionate and extremely worrying for fundamental freedoms. This injunction is not surprising, after Nicolas Sarkozy's repeated declarations [2] relaying the film and music industry's lobbies' demands. Such measures intend to turn Internet censorship into an acceptable tool for enforcing copyright, eventually leading to generalising its use. Collateral damage for freedom of speech and the privacy of personal communications would be terrible. There are other ways to go after intermediaries who profit from the distribution of cultural works, but before anything else we must recognise the legitimacy and usefulness of not-for-profit sharing between individuals, the repression of which has led to the sharp increase in streaming websites' revenues.” says Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder and spokesperson of citizen advocacy group La Quadrature du Net. * References * 1. See the following article in Le Monde, in French: http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2011/12/01/vaste-plainte-demandan... 2. During his 2010 greetings to the cultural world, Nicolas Sarkozy already considered that “We must […] quickly experiment filtering schemes which aim to automatically de-pollute networks and servers of all sources of piracy.” See also French Intellectual Property Code article L336-2, created by the HADOPI law, which authorises a judge to order filtering measures, on which is based the lawsuit. ** About la Quadrature du Net ** La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that promotes the rights and freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge. In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the digital age. La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international NGOs including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and Privacy International. List of supporting organisations: https://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-la-quadrature-du-net ** Press contact and press room ** Jérémie Zimmermann, [email protected], +33 (0)615 940 675 http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room _______________________________________________ Opennetcoalition mailing list [email protected] http://laquadrature.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/opennetcoalition -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens