45% admit pirating films and music
Law allowing surfers caught downloading content illegally to have their connection suspended to be debated this week.
NEARLY half of daily internet surfers admit they download films and music illegally, a poll has revealed ahead of a debate to change the law on internet piracy.
Music remains the most popular (27% admitted illegally downloading albums and tracks), followed by films (19%), TV series (8%) and games (6%) – according to the TNS Sofres poll for the newspaper Metro.
While 45% of daily internet users admit internet piracy, the figure drops to 26% overall.
Piracy is most common among the young where 64% of 18-24-year-olds admit illegally downloading content.
The figure drops to 54% for the 25-34 age bracket.
This week the National Assembly is set to debate a law which would allow companies to suspend the connections of internet users accused of illegal downloads.
The law, which has already been passed by the Senate, is being put forward by the minister for culture, Christine Albanel.
“Internet piracy is a plague which will kill French creativity,” said the head of the UMP in the National Assembly, Jean-François Copé.
It involves establishing a body, the Haute Autorité, pour la diffusion des œuvres et la protection des droits sur Internet (Hadopi) which will have the power to disconnect customers.
Opposition Socialist Party MPs have said they will vote against the proposal on the grounds of civil liberties and the establishment of internet surveillance to monitor potential suspects.
Some MPs of the governing UMP party and the centerist Modem party have also said they will vote against it.
