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Hollywood's Hadopi lobbying outed in French embassy cables

Washington got high level, detailed briefings on France's 3-strikes law - also known as the Hadopi law - and the Telecoms Package. With the Motion Picture Association and the RIAA in the loop.

We always thought it, but somehow the leaked cables, released by the Wikileaks website from the American Embassy in Paris, are interesting even in their confirmation of our suspicions. In particular, they reveal how the American entertainment industry lobbied for 3-strikes measures in Europe.

Two cables have been made public by Le Monde, the French newspaper which has access to the full database of leaked cables. These two cables tell us how the

US authorities were informed at the highest level about France's 3-strikes law, also known as the Hadopi law.

The US embassy was informed by the most senior official at the French Ministry of Culture, who was responsible for the Hadopi law - a man called Olivier Henrard. He is named in the cables as the 'point-person' and appears to have passed to them detailed information on the passage of the law.

Whilst the Embassy never applies any direct pressure on the French, it is evident from the tone of the cables that the US was keen for the French to go through with the 3-strikes measures. The cable details the US concerns about opposition to the law, and how the Sarkozy regime could overcome it.

It is evident that the Embassy's interest is to defend the US entertainment industries, and specifically the Motion Picture Association and the RIAA, who's lobbying message was that the 3-strikes law was "very important" to their anti-piracy strategies. It is significant that the Embassy was liaising directly with the MPA President, Robert Pisano.

Further on, the author discusses the EU Telecoms Package, in the context of the French 3-strikes law. The point of contact, Olivier Henrard, had was critical of the French Socialists' attempt to raise the issue of 3-strikes and Internet cut-off in the European Parliament, in the context of the Telecoms Package. And he assured the American government that France would 'push back' on any attempt in the Telecoms Package to prevent the implementation of the 3-strikes law in France. This will be a direct reference to Amendment 138, which the French government did fight against.

Quotes from the Paris Embassy cables:

"U.S. industry continues to watch the bill closely. Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) President Robert Pisano told the Charge on March 20 that the graduated response law is "very important" to the fight against online piracy, and to MPAA. The Recording Industry of America has expressed similarSentiments"

"They [the French Socialist party - Ed] have also taken their case to the European Parliament, where debate over the right to disconnect users from the internet has been injected in to discussion of the EU telecoms package. The

Culture Ministry's Henrard decried Socialists' efforts to politicize the telecoms package, and indicated the

GOF would push back on any EU efforts to preclude the GOF from implementing its law."

Le Monde,

WikiLeaks : la loi Hadopi int?resse au plus haut point Washington , 3 December 2010


PC Inpact ,
Wikileaks : les c?bles de l'ambassade am?ricaine sur Hadopi, 6 December 2010


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This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial-Share Alike 2.5 UK:England and Wales License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ It may be used for non-commercial purposes only, and the author's name should be attributed. The correct attribution for this article is: Monica Horten (2010) Hollywood's Hadopi lobbying outed in French embassy cables, http://www.iptegrity.com 11 December 2010.

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About Iptegrity

Iptegrity.com is the website of Dr Monica Horten, independent policy advisor: online safety, technology and human rights. Advocating to protect the rights of the majority of law abiding citizens online. Independent expert on the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on online safety and empowerment of content creators and users.  Published author, and post-doctoral scholar, with a PhD from the University of Westminster, and a DipM from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.  Former telecoms journalist,  experienced panelist and Chair, cited in the media eg  BBC, iNews, Times, Guardian and Politico.

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