Hadopi responds to Filippetti criticism

France’s online piracy watchdog the Hadopi has defended its record in the wake of criticisim from the country’s new culture minister, Aurélie Filippetti.

Answering comments by Filippetti that the authority had to do more to encourage the development of legal online services, Hadopi president Marie-Françoise Marais said that the body had been given a very strict and limited remit by the legislature and that it had only very limited means to encourage legal content consumption. She said the Hadopi had nevertheless certified that 62 platforms were distributing content legally.

Filippetti has repeatedly criticised the Hadopi’s record and particularly the costs of implementing the ‘three strikes’ anti-piracy regime whereby those who use file-sharing to acquire content illegally can face fines and ultimately have their internet connections cut off.

Last week a Belfort resident was fined €150 for illegally downloading music, the first time the Hadopi process had been followed through to a conviction.