DADVSI - Notable Individuals and Groups

Notable Individuals and Groups

Notable characters in the political debate included:

  • Minister of culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. He presented the initial draft of the text, as well as numerous amendments, on behalf of the gouvernement. Donnedieu de Vabres’ personal character became an issue with some critics of the law, who underlined the incongruity of having a politician convicted of money laundering give lessons of morality and enact criminal penalties against Internet users.
  • Deputies (members of the French National Assembly):
    • UMP (right-wing; absolute majority - voted for the text on March 21, 2006 and on June 30, 2006)
      • Christian Vanneste. He was, on behalf of the Commission of Laws, responsible for drafting the report on the proposed law. He represented the Commission in the debates.
      • Christine Boutin. She opposed several clauses of the text, including the criminalisation of Internet users and measures perceived to be harmful to free software, and supported the "global license".
      • Bernard Carayon. He famously remarked on TV that legislators were put under tremendous strain by powerful lobbies, up to the point of outright blackmail such as threatening to withdraw support for art in the deputy’s constituency.
      • Alain Suguenot
      • Richard Cazenave
    • UDF (centre-right - opposed or abstained on June 30, 2006)
      • François Bayrou. President of the UDF party, he famously stood against the creation of a "police of the Internet", against measures decried as harmful to free software, and in favour of the right to make private copies. The press commented that this was a way for Bayrou and the UDF to distance itself from the ruling UMP party, despite not formally being in the opposition.
      • Jean Dionis du Séjour and Christophe Baguet were the reporters for the UDF party on the proposed law; they had a somewhat different perspective than Bayrou’s.
    • PS (centre-left / left - opposed on the March 21, 2006 and June 30, 2006 votes)
      • Christian Paul
      • Patrick Bloche
      • Didier Mathus
    • Greens (left - opposed on the March 21, 2006 and June 30, 2006 votes)
      • Martine Billard
    • PCF (left - opposed on the March 21, 2006 and June 30, 2006 votes)
      • Frédéric Dutoit
  • Other personalities
    • Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (UMP): declared the law to be urgent, convene the mixed commission, and proposed the bill for a final vote.
    • President of the UMP party Nicolas Sarkozy — following from the disagreements inside his own party, organized a "round table" so as to decide on a common position for his party. Some groups, including EUCD.info and the Odebi League, contend that he has effectively pushed in favour of the law and the so-called "Vivendi Universal" amendments.

Pressure groups:

  • Software:
    • Free software
      • EUCD.info
      • Free Software Foundation France
      • AFUL and APRIL
    • Proprietary software and DRMs
      • BSA
  • Authors’ and artists’ societies
    • Opposed to the "global license" and supporting DRMs.
      • Sacem
      • SACD
    • In favour of the "global license".
      • ADAMI
      • SPEDIDAM
  • Consumers and Internet users
    • Audionautes
    • UFC Que Choisir
    • Ligue Odebi
  • Entertainment industry
    • Vivendi Universal
      • Lobbyist Sylvie Forbin (received the National Order of Merit on June 20, 2006 )

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