14 DAY TRIAL // Anti-piracy laws are acclaimed by the movie and the music industries, but they’re not exactly at the top of the preference list for regular Internet users.
In fact, street artists over in Paris have taken it upon themselves to protest the local three-strikes law, also known as “Hadopi.”
An artist, for instance, drew a huge insect chasing a running man, trying to suck its blood. Underneath, a caption read “The Blood Sucking Hadopi.” This wasn’t exactly to the liking of authorities, and city workers were ordered to remove the political statement, Numerama reports.
The graffiti still stands, but the text was removed as workers painted over it, effectively censoring the artist’s protest against the Hadopi law.
There’s a heavy dose of irony in this measure, especially since it’s an artist speaking out against a law that’s supposed to protect artists, or rather the record labels and production houses behind them.
“Creating street art is simply a tool for activism. I am glad people in France are upset about what happened in Butte aux Cailles – it shows at least someone is paying attention to certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed,” Sampsa, the author of this graffiti, told TorrentFreak.
The three-strike law was supposed to be shut down, but lawmakers changed their mind. Instead, the Hadopi law will be transformed in a system where file-sharers will receive automatic fines, something that, understandably, didn’t go well with the public.
Sampsa believes that the law will have a negative impact on the youth. Furthermore, file sharing won’t be made extinct by fines or legislation, he believes, something that is backed by countless studies so far.
While the graffiti artist hopes the French lawmakers will start funding artists instead of fining file sharers, studies show that having access to affordable legal options is ideal in the fight against online piracy.
Un peu trop... Le message sur Hadopi a aussi été nettoyé! pic.twitter.com/3IktLdDAw4
— v23id (@v23id) February 12, 2014