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<title>Correcting My Mistake about French Law - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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<h2>Correcting My Mistake about French Law</h2>

<p>by

<address class="byline">by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/"><strong>Richard
Stallman</strong></a></p> href="https://www.stallman.org/">Richard
Stallman</a></address>

<p>For several years I've said in my speeches that it was a crime in
France, punishable by imprisonment, to have a copy of the free
software that can decrypt the video on a DVD. That encryption is an
example of DRM (Digital Restrictions Management), the malicious
features <a href="http://DefectiveByDesign.org/">designed href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/">designed to restrict
users</a>.</p>

<p>That is what Sarkozy's DADVSI law said when it was adopted, but I
recently learned that the Conseil d'Etat introduced some
exceptions. In fact, free software to decrypt and play DVDs is
legally distributed in France—unlike the US, where it was censored
by the infamous 1998 law, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.</p>

<p>However, it's not clear whether this will apply to other DRM schemes.
There is a danger that the complex conditions will specifically
prohibit free software for playing Bluray Blu-ray disks and allow only
proprietary software. Thus, it is not a crime in France to possess
the free software that can play a DVD, but it is yet to be decided
whether it is a crime to possess a free program to play a Bluray Blu-ray disk.</p>

<p>It is certainly not <em>wrong</em> to have a copy of such a program.
The software that's wrong is nonfree software; the only ethical
program to play a video, or do anything else, is a free program. The
wrong here is in the law itself. However, as long as it exists, if
you are a dissident in France you should keep such programs hidden.</p>

<p>When I first got a drive that handles DVDs, the reason I decided not
to install free DVD-playing software was because of this French law.
I go to France from time to time, and I was concerned there might be
some who would wish to have me imprisoned for this so as to terrorize
other netizens. I refuse to have any nonfree software, and the only
option that left me was to have no software for this job. Thus, I
could not play encrypted DVDs at all.</p>

<p>Knowing now that I won't be imprisoned for bringing libdvdcss into
France, I could consider having a copy, which would give me the option
of playing DVDs that have DRM.</p>

<p>However, I think I won't do it. I have got used to avoiding encrypted
DVDs, and this has the bonus of giving Hollywood no money with which to
lobby for nasty laws like SOPA. Why change?</p>
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<p>Copyright © 2012, 2014 2024 Richard M. Stallman.</p>

<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/">Creative
href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>

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<p class="unprintable">Updated:
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$Date: 2024/01/17 15:31:49 $
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