INTERNET/FRANCE: PROTESTS FOLLOWING SURPRISE VOTE LEGALISING DOWNLOADING.

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French recording artists rose up in protest on December 22 against the surprise adoption by MPs of provisions legalising the downloading for private use of Internet files via "peer to peer" (P2P) networks. Against all expectations, the Assemblee Nationale adopted two identical amendments during a night session on December 21-22 - one tabled by an MP from the ruling right-wing majority, the other by socialist MPs - legalising the copying from the Internet of music or films for private use against payment to rights holders.

The vote is not final, the French government having asked for a second reading of the text. Conversely, a bill on copyright has upped potential penalties for Internet piracy.

Several film and audiovisual organisations have denounced the "expropriation of authors' rights on the Internet" which they claim will be the net result...

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