france

Update at 10:05 a.m. PDT: On Wednesday, France's Senate also passed the bill, according to the Associated Press.

The French National Assembly has passed an antipiracy bill that sets a very dangerous precedent.

The "Creation et Internet" bill which passed the lower house of France's parliament by a vote of 296 to 233, is a "three-strikes-you're-out" act that could suspend Internet access for up to a year to anyone caught three times downloading or sharing copyrighted files. The law would not need a trial or court order to be enforced.

The … Read more

The French National Assembly ignored a vote last week by the European Parliament and approved its "Création et Internet" three-strikes bill on Tuesday.

The measure supported by French President Nicolas Sarkozy punishes digital pirates by suspending Internet service if they are caught illegally sharing copyrighted material. The vote comes a little more than a month after the same government body rejected the proposal.

It seems the vote by the French Assembly is in direct opposition to the European Parliament, which last week passed a measure prohibiting EU governments from terminating a user's Internet access without … Read more

Jasmine France joins The 404 today. Just a little warning: she had just flown into New York City on the red-eye from San Francisco and is pretty loopy for part of the show. But she does give us the 411 on the best MP3 player and headphones to get.

Jasmine dishes the dirt on Justin as an intern years ago. Let's just say dry cleaning, coffee, foot rubs, and walking her dog were part of his daily routine. Oh, how far he has come.

We talk a bit about how popular "casual encounters" has become on Craigslist. It's even bigger than Match.com, eHarmony, or even Yahoo! Personals. Jasmine tells us about her "missed connections" story. It gets juicy. Find your subway crush here.

Also, we discuss a bit 'bout how piracy is ruining the PSP. Justin doesn't really care; Jeff gets upset; and Wilson's fourth cousin is selling pirated games back home in Zhong Guo. Speaking of China, for about five minutes too long, Wilson exposés on Jackie Chan's recent comments in the press. This is why we don't discuss anything with any seriousness.

Finally, it's "Earf Day"...we think that's how it's spelled. Anyway, as part of our effort to be friendly to the environment, CNET TV is launching The Green Show, starring Mark Licea. That's right! MTI has his own show now. Check it out and send us your comments at greenshow [at] cnet [dot] com.

By a vote of 21 to 15, the lower house of France's Parliament rejected a bill that would have required Internet service providers to suspend access to people who have received three warnings for illegally downloading copyrighted music.

While there are plenty of organizations and individuals who supported the bill, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has opposed this bill and similar efforts elsewhere.

EFF's International Outreach Coordinator Danny O'Brien explains his organization's position on the issue.

France has passed a law that requires Internet service providers to cut off Web access of customers accused of illegally downloading copyright material multiple times.

Last Thursday, the French National Assembly passed the "Creation and Internet" law, which implements a graduated response program similar to one the recording industry is asking ISPs in the United States to adopt.

According to a story in BusinessWeek, the accused are first e-mailed a warning that they have been flagged as a copyright violator. If the person is accused a second time, the pressure is increased. Another warning is sent but this … Read more

When employees at Sony's operation in France didn't get severance packages they considered fair, they took matters into their own hands.

On Friday, union workers freed Serge Foucher, CEO of Sony France, and Roland Bentz, head of human resources, from the company's factory in southwest France where they had been held since Thursday afternoon, according to a report by the Associated Press. Employees were angry over the terms of their severance, and kept the two from leaving as a way of protest.

The union representing the employees freed the two executives on the condition that Sony management … Read more

France isn't immune to the layoffs that Yahoo began last year.

PaidContent.org reported Tuesday that 52 of the country's 251 employees will lose their jobs, citing Agence France-Presse.

Yahoo spokesman Brad Williams said employees in France will be affected by the Yahoo layoff that began in December, cutting 10 percent of staff worldwide, or 1,520 people. Because of different regulations, the French cuts are taking place later than those in the United States, and employees haven't yet been notified.

Williams declined to comment on the number who will be losing jobs or the timing of … Read more

I hate parking tickets. I mean, nobody likes them, but I have a special hatred for them. And now they've given me one more reason to avoid going to France.

I often play a game of cat and mouse with the parking attendants of Seattle. I know I have two hours at a meter, but I also know they have scheduled routes, much like mail carriers. I push my luck and usually make it out just as they're approaching. Often, though, I'm too late. But these new "smart meters" in France make my stupid game … Read more

Apple has been ordered to cancel its exclusive iPhone 3G distribution agreement with France Telecom's Orange. Apple is now required to allow other local carriers in France to sell the iPhone 3G to their customers. The order comes from a complaint filed last September by Bouygues Telecom, which is one of France's smaller mobile operators. The complaint was filed with the French Competition Council. The complaint pointed to the fact that the agreement between Apple and Orange violates local French laws regarding competition and pricing.

The decision (PDF link French) by the Council was released this week and … Read more