French “Three Strikes” Delayed, Pirate Party in Parliament?

File sharing has received much criticism over the past few months, but it’s also garnering support. This afternoon, the French Assembly postponed voting on the “three-strikes” measure against repeat file sharers until next week, because Socialist deputies have presented amendments that the Assembly must examine.

In the meantime, a survey conducted by the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter found that over five per cent of 1,500 people surveyed said they would support the Swedish Pirate Party. Since the minimum for a seat in European Parliament is four per cent, the party might have a chance in the upcoming elections in June.

The problem facing the music industry is one that has bothered the software industry since the inception of the Internet. Infinite copies of digital information, and the fact that they are easily obtained, have devalued each copy to the point where some people now believe that the information should be free for non-commercial use. Or course, there are those who just don’t want to pay, but others, like the Pirate Party, call for a change in copyright law, and want to abolish the patent system, as well as any other form of prohibiting the population from accessing knowledge.

On the other hand, there is the survival of several industries at stake, and although some say that the solution is educating the public to pay for music, others, like French President Nicolas Sarkozy, think that it is necessary to monitor the population, and step in when things get out of hand. The “three strikes” proposal, which would sever internet connections of repeat copyright violators, is a measure deemed necessary, as recorded music sales, both physical and digital, went down in France, according to labels trade body SNEP.

This conflict has given rise to a number of new ways to support the creation of intellectual property, but they don’t end the limitless availability of free music online. One thing is for sure, our previous notion of ownership is being challenged. Whatever direction it takes, let’s hope that the outcome of the copyright war is decided by the people, and not the industry oligarchs.

Which side will win? Is the solution somewhere in between?

Image via api.ning.com
Source: Billboard, NME