French anti-piracy authority Hadopi reported that it has nearly doubled the number of warnings it sent internet subscribers whose connections were used to download content illegally over peer-to-peer networks in the year to the end of June. The authority sent over 300,000 first warnings by e-mail and nearly 150,000 second warnings by registered mail.
Since its creation almost four years ago, Hadopi sent over 3.25 million first warnings, or 8.9 percent of all internet users, and almost than 334,000 second warnings. Some 10.4 percent of internet users who received a first warning were found to persist in their behaviour and therefore sent a second one, while only 0.4 percent (1,502) who received a second warning moved to the third step.
In the end, only 116 cases were heard by a judge and most received a formal warning. Among those who were fined, the highest penalty was EUR 700. A decree ended courts’ power to order internet access suspension a year ago. This sanction was only imposed once, in May 2013, but was not applied. Hadopi’s budget has halved to EUR 5.6 million in 2014 from EUR 12 million in 2011.
Les Echos writes that although the current government has adopted the recommendations of the Lescure report recommending that Hadopi’s functions be assumed by broadcast regulator CSA, the Culture and Creation Bill, under which the transfer would take place has been pushed back until at least 2015.
