I think that the cost is too big:
Quote:
Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net, a group that campaigns against restrictions on the Internet, said the law had resulted in increased use of virtual private network software and other anonymity tools.
“Apparently some of its intimidation is having a psychological effect,” he said of the three-strikes law, but added: “The political costs of creating an institution like this are tremendous.”
Stories like that of Robert Thollot, a teacher who lives near Saint-Étienne, in central France, have not helped. Mr. Thollot was accused of illegally downloading songs by David Guetta and Rihanna, as well as the film “Iron Man 2.”
Mr. Thollot argued that someone had pirated his log-on to a nationwide Wi-Fi network and downloaded the material while he was in class. After interviewing him, Hadopi dropped his case.
“It’s like when someone steals your bank card number,” said Renaud Veeckman, co-founder of SOS Hadopi, an organization that offers legal help to people who have received warnings from the anti-piracy agency. “Are you responsible, or are you the victim?”
SOS Hadopi has worked with five people whose dossiers have reached the third stage, including Mr. Thollot; all five have been cleared before going to court. This suggests that the actual number of cases that have been forwarded to the justice system may be considerably lower than the 165 third-strike offenders cited by Hadopi. Mr. Walter at Hadopi declined to provide a specific figure.
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