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France's controversial Hadopi piracy law nets its first conviction, a man who says he didn't do it

France's controversial Hadopi piracy law nets its first conviction, a man who says he didn't do it

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Alain Prevost has become the first individual to be convicted under France's controversial Hadopi graduated response law, Ars Technica reports.

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Alain Prevost has become the first individual to be convicted under France's controversial Hadopi graduated response law, Ars Technica reports. After ignoring three previous warnings, Prevost was ordered to pay a fine of €150 ($196) for failing to secure his internet connection because his wife at the time downloaded two Rihanna songs — supposedly without his knowledge. Under Hadopi, Prevost could have been fined up to €1500 ($1964) and had his internet cut off for a month, but according to French media reports, he insisted to the court that he was not responsible for the illegal activity and was "totally incapable of downloading anything."

Recent reports have suggested that Hadopi has been successful in deterring piracy — 95 percent of those who received an initial warning ceased, as did 92 percent of those who received a second warning, and 98 percent of those who were warned a third and final time stopped and as a result were not taken to court. Since the introduction of Hadopi, only fourteen cases, including Prevost's, have made it to court. However, Prevost's case does not bode well for the effectiveness of legislation, which thus far hasn't punished large-scale pirates who are savvy enough to skirt detection. Instead, it has only succeeded in punishing the technologically ignorant.