One from the file labeled 'Le Copyright'. The French government has successfully overcome those proposals put forward by opposition MPs to introduce a 'blanket licence' that would legitimise the sharing of music online via P2P networks.
As previously reported, those proposals were put forward in the French parliament at the end of last year as radical amendments to government proposals that actually intended to crack down on P2P file sharing. Opposition MPs, being heavily lobbied by consumer rights groups, proposed that French music fans be allowed to share music online, in return for paying a monthly levy on their internet access fees that would be returned to the content owners.
The government, being heavily lobbied by the record industry, opposed those proposals from the outset, but was unable to defeat the amendments, mainly because when they were put forward many MPs who would have supported the government were already on their Christmas break.
In the end the French government withdrew the amended proposals and returned to parliament this week with a new bill, which removed talk of legitimising P2P, but in return made certain concessions to the consumer rights lobby, including a lessening of the penalties for violating copyright online.
Despite the concessions, those opposition MPs in favour of legitimising P2P still opposed the government's new bill, and reportedly walked out of parliament after the vote on the new proposals went against them.
While legitimate P2P is now off the agenda in France, the new French legislation on online copyright may still prove controversial. The parliament will tomorrow vote on those previously reported proposals to force technology companies to ensure that music bought from any download platform will work on any digital music player.
This would have big implications for Apple, whose entire digital music business model depends on having a 'proprietary codec' that means that music bought from iTunes can only be played on iPods. If that business model becomes illegal in France it will be interesting to see how Apple respond - given that they have been pretty resistant to lobbying from other parties to join the 'inter-operability' movement. Some insiders say Apple might just close down iTunes in France completely and hope no other countries follow suit with similar legislation - which would presumably mean freedom fries all round at Apple's Californian HQ.