Lescure to look again at Hadopi law

Former Canal Plus chief Pierre Lescure has been given the task of looking again at the operation of France’s Hadopi anti-piracy regime by the country’s new government.

The appointment has broadly been greeted with approval by representatives of music and video rights-holders and authors, who remain nervous about any watering down of a law they believe has contributed to a real reduction in the illegal sharing of content on the web.  New president François Hollande made a commitment to revisit the law, which was implemented by the previous administration, ahead of his election earlier this month.

Authors group SACD noted Lescure’s appointment “with satisfaction” and said it was confident he would be able to build a consensus around the idea of “a strong cultural ambition” for France in the digital era.

Hollande’s commitment to revisit Hadopi comes amid continuing concern about the law, which threatens those who share content illegally with having their internet connections cut after three warnings.

Commenting on Lescure’s appointment, music producers group SNEP’s director-general David El Sayegh reportedly said that the group was not wedded to the need to cut internet connections if the alternative penalties imposed by the law were strong enough to act as a disincentive.