FRANCE’S THREE STRIKES LAW MAY STRIKE OUT

France is likely to scrap its three-strikes anti-piracy law following a conclusion by a nine-member panel that the system has had little if any effect in increasing legitimate sales, while costing tens of millions of euros to implement. The so-called Hadopi law, enacted in 2009, was supposed to provide a “graduated response” to online piracy and encourage file-sharers to return to video stores. While a reduction in the use of file-sharing sites was noted by the panel, most of it was attributed to the rise of illicit streaming, which is difficult to track. There was no evidence that legal video sales and rentals had increased. The current system is expected to be superseded by a system of automatic small fines of around 60 euros ($77) after two warnings.