Now the Germans are dissing the three strike approach to combating online piracy.
As much previously reported, one of the proposals to try and stop the kids from illegally sharing music and movies online is that if they ignore two warnings that what they are doing is illegal they will have their internet connection cut off. The internet service providers don't like the idea, but the French government is making the three strike system law and putting in place a new body to administrate it.
Although the idea has been mooted here in the UK, the government's recent Digital Britain report didn't recommend it as an option, and Intellectual Property minister David Lammy has said he thinks such a system would be unworkable.
Now the German government has reportedly said it wouldn't back introducing the three-strike system either, mainly because of concerns forcing ISPs to closely monitor their customers' online activity would breach the country's privacy laws (a common reason cited for not forcing net firms to police online piracy).
The German Federal Minister Of Justice Brigitte Zypries reportedly said as much to representatives of the German ISP industry last month.
Needless to say, the German record industry, which has become increasingly litigious in recent years in its bid to combat online piracy, isn't all that pleased, worryed that Zypries' comments not only mean the three strike proposal is a no go, but that it shows the government doesn't appreciate the scale of the net piracy problem.
Billboard quote Stefan Michalk, MD of the German Federal Music Association, thus: "Unfortunately, Germany is the only country in which no progress is being made. The only alternative still available to companies is to take legal steps against internet piracy. It is vital for Germany as well to lay the foundations for similar models in the near future. Otherwise the German creative industry will suffer from a clear competitive disadvantage compared with other countries".