pending appeal. 44 The European Parliament, however, voted overwhelmingly to add to
a telecoms reform bill a stipulation that agencies such as HADOPI must first obtain permission from French courts before disconnecting violators. 45
The HADOPI law has faced strong opposition throughout France by various groups,
and an employee of French television broadcaster TF1 was even fired for his opposition
to the law after a private e-mail sent to his member of parliament was forwarded back
to his employer. 46
ONI Testing Results
The OpenNet Initiative tested two ISPs (Orange and Neuf Cegetel) in France and found
no signs of filtering; however, manual testing found one Web site, www.aaargh.com
.mx, to be blocked. The Web site, which promotes Holocaust revisionism as well as a
boycott of Israel, was blocked by a French court; the court, in turn, has been brought
into question for not contacting the Web site’s hosts before ordering the filtering. 47
Conclusion
In France, as in other Western countries, concerns over intellectual property guide online regulatory efforts. However, access to the Internet remains relatively free, apart
from limited filtering of child pornography and Web sites that promote terrorism or
racial hatred.
Notes
1. BBC News, ‘‘Country Profile: France,’’ March 3, 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/
country_profiles/998481.stm.
2. CNN.com, ‘‘Sarkozy: I Have Mandate for Change,’’ May 7, 2007, http://www.cnn.com/2007/
WORLD/europe/05/06/france.election/index.html.
3. Economist.com, ‘‘Country Briefings: France,’’ May 6, 2009, http://www.economist.com/
countries/France/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-FactSheet.
4. U.S. Department of State, ‘‘Background Note: France,’’ April 2009, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/
ei/bgn/3842.htm.
5. Ibid.
6. BBC News, ‘‘Q&A: Muslim Headscarves,’’ August 31, 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/
europe/3328277.stm.
7. Guy Carcassonne, ‘‘The Principles of the French Constitution,’’ written for the French Embassy
in the U.K., May 2002, http://www.unc.edu/depts/europe/francophone/principles_en.pdf.
302
France
a telecoms reform bill a stipulation that agencies such as HADOPI must first obtain permission from French courts before disconnecting violators. 45
The HADOPI law has faced strong opposition throughout France by various groups,
and an employee of French television broadcaster TF1 was even fired for his opposition
to the law after a private e-mail sent to his member of parliament was forwarded back
to his employer. 46
ONI Testing Results
The OpenNet Initiative tested two ISPs (Orange and Neuf Cegetel) in France and found
no signs of filtering; however, manual testing found one Web site, www.aaargh.com
.mx, to be blocked. The Web site, which promotes Holocaust revisionism as well as a
boycott of Israel, was blocked by a French court; the court, in turn, has been brought
into question for not contacting the Web site’s hosts before ordering the filtering. 47
Conclusion
In France, as in other Western countries, concerns over intellectual property guide online regulatory efforts. However, access to the Internet remains relatively free, apart
from limited filtering of child pornography and Web sites that promote terrorism or
racial hatred.
Notes
1. BBC News, ‘‘Country Profile: France,’’ March 3, 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/
country_profiles/998481.stm.
2. CNN.com, ‘‘Sarkozy: I Have Mandate for Change,’’ May 7, 2007, http://www.cnn.com/2007/
WORLD/europe/05/06/france.election/index.html.
3. Economist.com, ‘‘Country Briefings: France,’’ May 6, 2009, http://www.economist.com/
countries/France/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-FactSheet.
4. U.S. Department of State, ‘‘Background Note: France,’’ April 2009, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/
ei/bgn/3842.htm.
5. Ibid.
6. BBC News, ‘‘Q&A: Muslim Headscarves,’’ August 31, 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/
europe/3328277.stm.
7. Guy Carcassonne, ‘‘The Principles of the French Constitution,’’ written for the French Embassy
in the U.K., May 2002, http://www.unc.edu/depts/europe/francophone/principles_en.pdf.
302
France