France acts against net pirates

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
6 October 2011 Last updated at 10:43 GMT France is trying to tackle those who pirate pop by throwing them offline Sixty French net users could have their connection turned off for a month after ignoring letters telling them to stop infringing copyright.

They are the first to reach the end of the controversial process France operates as a way of tackling pirates.

About 650,000 people have received one warning and a further 44,000 are on their second warning.

The statistics were revealed in the annual report from the French agency that runs the scheme.

Deterrent effect

A government advisor is set to visit the 60 people who have ignored warnings to find out more about their circumstances.

The information gathered during the interviews will determine whether a case file is passed to prosecutors. Those who are prosecuted and found guilty could have to pay a fine of 1,500 euros (£1,295) or have their net link disconnected for up to a month.

The tough anti-piracy laws are overseen by an agency called Hadopi (Haute Autorite pour la Diffusion des Oeuvres et la Protection des Droits sur Internet) which was set up in January 2010 but only began sending out letters to suspected infringers in October of that year.

The three-strikes law gives people several chances to mend their ways when found to be infringing copyright by swapping music, movies and games via peer-to-peer networks.

Speaking to French broadcaster TF1, Hadopi boss Marie-Françoise Marais said research it had done suggested the letters it was sending out were acting as a deterrent. However, she added, the results had to be taken with "caution".

Ms Marais said Hadopi was looking into reports that some file-sharers had turned to different technologies to avoid detection and keep on infringing. So far, she said, the agency could not pursue those people because the law only requires it to monitor peer-to-peer services.

The French approach is seen as one of the toughest crackdowns on net piracy.

In the UK, the government plans a letter-writing campaign to people who are persistently downloading movies and music without paying for it.

The letters are intended to educate users rather than punish them, the government has said.

No letters have yet been sent because the Digital Economy Act, which deals with illegal file-sharing, is on hold while the government waits for the European parliament to approve changes to it.

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TECHNOLOGY, 51% of Gamers 'Against 3D Consoles'

Sony and Nintendo are very much into 3D at the moment, and some (unverified, probably unfounded but plausible) rumors suggest that the next generation of Xbox console may be 3D enabled too. Games comparison and marketplace site Playr2.com decided to investigate whether this is what gamers really wanted.

1,001 self-professed gamers took part in the site's survey, to which 51% responded that they would not welcome the introduction of 3D technology to future console releases. 47% said they would welcome the tech, while 2% remained unsure.
Of those who stated they would not be in favor of the new tech, 44% dismissed it as "unnecessary," while 28% said they had played a 3DS and were "unimpressed." 22% of these respondents felt that 3D tech would actively "impair the gaming experience."
73% of all respondents claimed they were not in favor of 3DTVs. "Impracticality" was given as the main reason for this. 65% of respondents indicated that they would be interested in purchasing a next-generation Xbox, regardless of whether or not it was 3D compatible. Of this 65%, a little over half currently owned a 360, while 37% currently owned a PS3.
"Rumors are constantly flying around about the next big console releases, so we wanted to see what gamers would think about the possibility of a 3D enabled console," said Simon Kilby, founder of Playr2.com. "It was surprising to see that the majority were against it, but many seemed to be disappointed by the technology on the Nintendo 3DS and wouldn't like to see the technology spread to other consoles. 3D, given its current popularity in cinema and television, does seem to be the next logical step in gaming; but I think developers will have to be careful to tackle the issues that the Nintendo 3DS seemed to raise with motion sickness and the like. Our study proves that many think it to be unnecessary, or even an impairment on the gaming experience; so it will be interesting to see what happens when the consoles are finally released."
The trouble with 3D right now is that it is mostly unnecessary and superfluous. Because developers and publishers can't rely on players having 3D hardware -- except in the case of the 3DS, where it's possible to switch it off -- they can't specifically design games around the 3D concept. As such, 3D effects simply become window dressing rather than an integral part of gameplay. The fact that current consoles have to render 3D visuals at half the resolution of 2D right now also puts something of a dampener on the whole experience.
Those of you reading who do have a 3DS and/or a 3DTV -- do you find that 3D adds anything to your gameplay experience, or is it simply something that looks cool?
This article originally appeared on GamePro.com as Study: 51% of Gamers 'Against 3D Consoles'

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