The French government enacted a law in October 2009 that will effectively cut off internet access to the households of repeat copyright infringers. The legislation established a government agency to oversee the enforcement of the laws called “HADOPI.” The agency chose this as their logo:
Soon after HADOPI released this logo, a font designer named Jean-François Porchez claimed that the logo infringed on his font, which he had created for France Telecom. France Telecom does not plan to pursue the matter, but Porchez may bring a court action against HADOPI.
The implications of HADOPI’s mistake seem obvious: if the state of intellectual property law is such that a government agency whose sole task is to enforce intellectual property rights cannot keep itself from infringing on the works of others, then something is fundamentally wrong with IP law. This conclusion is bolstered by the fact that this is not the first time the French government, which is known for its strict intellectual property laws, has been accused of infringement.
But HADOPI’s mistake may not mean that much. It’s certainly an amusing (and bloggable) anecdote, but it’s relevance to the debate over intellectual property laws is nominal. If a police officer were to illegally assault someone, we wouldn’t call for the legalization of assault.
The intellectual property debates will be resolved by paying close attention to the purposes of our laws and their philosophical foundations; not through recourse to memorable anecdotes or appeals ad hominem.
French Government Agency Established to Fight Copyright Infringement Infringes Artist’s Copyright
The French government enacted a law in October 2009 that will effectively cut off internet access to the households of repeat copyright infringers. The legislation established a government agency to oversee the enforcement of the laws called “HADOPI.” The agency chose this as their logo:
Soon after HADOPI released this logo, a font designer named Jean-François Porchez claimed that the logo infringed on his font, which he had created for France Telecom. France Telecom does not plan to pursue the matter, but Porchez may bring a court action against HADOPI.
The implications of HADOPI’s mistake seem obvious: if the state of intellectual property law is such that a government agency whose sole task is to enforce intellectual property rights cannot keep itself from infringing on the works of others, then something is fundamentally wrong with IP law. This conclusion is bolstered by the fact that this is not the first time the French government, which is known for its strict intellectual property laws, has been accused of infringement.
But HADOPI’s mistake may not mean that much. It’s certainly an amusing (and bloggable) anecdote, but it’s relevance to the debate over intellectual property laws is nominal. If a police officer were to illegally assault someone, we wouldn’t call for the legalization of assault.
The intellectual property debates will be resolved by paying close attention to the purposes of our laws and their philosophical foundations; not through recourse to memorable anecdotes or appeals ad hominem.
via Boing Boing