The senators adopted Wednesday in committee a bill strengthening the fight against audiovisual piracy and organizing the merger between the CSA and Hadopi, with several modifications, including the perpetuation of a "youth" channel.

The text will be examined at first reading in the chamber of the Senate on May 20 and 21 before going to the National Assembly.

This bill "relating to the regulation and protection of access to cultural works in the digital age", incorporates part of the major reform presented in the fall of 2019 by the former Minister of Culture Franck Riester .

It provides for the creation of a super regulator: the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom), the result of the merger between the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) and the High Authority for the dissemination of works and the protection of rights on the Internet (Hadopi), the public agency against piracy.

Sustain France 4

For the centrist president of the Senate Culture Committee Laurent Lafon, this text "extremely light" compared to the reform initially planned is "a disappointment".

The Senate, dominated by the right-wing opposition, wishes to "give it muscle," he said at a press conference.

Among the modifications made in committee, the senators enshrined in law the need for one of the channels of the France Televisions group to be devoted to programs dedicated to young people.

One way to perpetuate France 4, whose scheduled shutdown was postponed until this summer, after its mobilization during the closure of schools due to Covid-19.

Fight against piracy

According to the amendment adopted by the senators, the programs would be exclusively devoted to young people from 6 am to 8 pm and devoid of any form of advertising.

The Culturebox program, which is also due to end in August following the shutdown of France 4, could take over in the evening.

On the part of the fight against piracy, the senators adopted in committee an amendment by rapporteur Jean-Raymond Hugonet (LR) establishing a “penal transaction” device for offending Internet users, resulting in a fine of 350 euros.

Regarding “neighboring rights”, the senators unanimously adopted an amendment by the socialist David Assouline providing for a financial sanction to force platforms exploiting press content to conclude a global agreement with publishers and press agencies.

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