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An amendment to the proposed DADVSI bill has the aim of making criminal counterfeiting out of publication, distribution and promotion of all software susceptible to being used to open up data protected by author's right and not integrating a method of controlling and tracking private usage (technical measure). All software permitting downloads is concerned, such as certain instant messaging software (chat) and all server software (P2P, HTTP, FTP, SSH). This surrealist amendment has been redirected from its start by Vivendi Universal, then reworked by many members of the Sirinelli commission, a commission of the High Council of Literary and Artistic Property CSPLA.

Creating your own compilations from a CD, extracting your favourite piece of music to listen to it on your computer, transfering it on a MP3 player, lending a CD to a friend, reading a DVD with free software or duplicating it to be able to enjoy it at home and in your country house : many common practices, perfectly legal, which the French government plans to forbid in fact. The copyright and neighbouring rights in the information society bill (DADVSI) (n°1206) which the French government will try to force through in the coming weeks by using an emergency procedure, actually legitimates the technical devices installed by CD and DVD editors and producers to control their use. And above all, the bill plans criminal penalty against people who would dare to remove those.

English readers : UPDATE : dedicated section opened France is about to get the worst copyright law in Europe. A dedicated section with detailled materials in English will be opened tomorrow. For the moment you can read Cory's post about the DADVSI bill and follow its trackbacks.

The final version of this report should be ratified by the Sirinelli Commission on November 18th and adopted during the next plenary session of the Conseil Supérieur de la Propriété Littéraire et Artistique CSPLA, High Council of Literary and Artistic Property) on December 7th. The Sirinelli Commission had to ponder, among other things the issues surrounding the possible responsibility of some intermediary parties who would incite counterfeiting in either one of the following ways: providing means, giving information on means and methods, or advocating. Among other things, this report aims to support the most controversial points of the DADVSI bill and the business majors' amendments.