Rest Of Europe About To Yield To HADOPI’s Siren Song?

Concerns are rising among activists about the impending spread to the rest of Europe of French HADOPI-like legislations punishing alleged copyright infringers on the internet with a suspension of internet connection after three alleged violations (“three strikes”). The Conciliation Committee delegation of the European Parliament is expected to meet on 4 November to discuss a replacement of Amendment 138 proposed by the Council of the European Union (the member government representatives). This new amendment, according to non-governmental La Quadrature du Net, is intended to allow “three-strikes” policy across Europe. The so-called three-strikes mechanism describes a system where two warnings are sent to alleged infringers before judicial action is taken on the third. This has stirred concerns about limits on individuals’ freedom of expression. The French law created an oversight body called HADOPI (IPW, IP Burble, 23 October 2009).

This discussion is part of the EU “telecom package,” a set of five European directives regulating electronic communication networks and currently being modified, according to La Quadrature du Net. Amendment 138 was approved twice by a large majority of the European Parliament. The rewording of this amendment could potentially also allow private corporations to restrict internet access by pressuring internet service providers to police the internet, the group said.