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p2pnet news view P2P | Politics:- French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who’s spearheading the French version of the corporate entertainment industry Three Strikes attack on consumers, spent £250,000 (about $396,841) of French EU budget on shower he didn’t use, says the Guardian.

The major corporate movie and music studios say file sharing was, and is, ruining their businesses, centred on lawsuits targeting their own customers, said p2pnet recently, noting:

“The wise auld greybeards who control the cartels came up with a scenario they figured couldn’t fail: use governments as copyright enforcement agencies, with local taxpayers footing the bill, and internet service providers working as copyright cops to identify file sharers and turn them over to the labels, primarily, and studios for firm action.

“It’s called the Three Strikes plan and under it, alleged copyright infringers — file sharers — get two warnings and if they don’t do what they’re told — buy corporate ‘product,’ and only corporate ‘product’ — they get thrown off the net.”

France and  Britain are now neck-and-neck in determined efforts to act swiftly on cartel demands,  to the serious detriment of voters. But Germany has decided it wants no part of suing own citizens on behalf of the cartels.

The movie and music studios say it’s all about copyright protection. However, it’s actually about gaining control of how, and by whom, ‘product’ is handled on the  burgeoning internet market place.

And now  industry representative Sarkozy is apparently turning out to be less than squeaky clean, the costly shower notwithstanding.

France’s Le Canard Enchaine revealed he’d ‘pirated’ 400 copies of a DVD — a documentary starring him. 

“If the story pans out, this would be Sarkozy’s second copyright infringement — and a major embarrassment for a President famous for his three-strikes-you’re-out, anti-file-sharing stance, says the story, adding:

“According to the paper, Sarkozy made 400 unauthorized copies of a 52-minute documentary starring the President himself, called A visage decouvert : Nicolas Sarkozy.

Corporate singer Carla Bruni is Sarkozy’s wife and in a different scandal, Big 4 organised music gang member  UMG/Vivendi released a Bruni album —- with the French government funding the distribution of 14,000 copies to marketing people worldwide.

As the Daily Mail put it,  “At least 14,000 ‘marketing ambassadors’ in 19 countries have received Comme Si De Rien N’était (As If Nothing Happened) along with wine and cheese vouchers, and corkscrews.”

Marketing ambassadors? Cheese voucher and corkscrews?

“The French treasury purchased the albums along with wine and cheese vouchers as part of the 1 million pounds (about C$1,605,147) campaign,” said the story.

Now, “French financial watchdogs slammed Nicolas Sarkozy for spending £160m during his country’s six-month stint in charge of the EU.” says the Guardian, pointiang out: »»»

For one three-day event alone, Sarkozy sanctioned an elaborate upgrade of the Grand Palace in Paris for an EU-Mediterranean summit – one of his pet initiatives to mark his turn at the EU helm.

The event was one of his final EU presidency flourishes last July, and involved hundreds of workmen and millions of pounds.

“The Grand Palace had to be completely refitted for the occasion. Five hundred technicians were mobilised every day, including 300 at night,” said the report. Spending included nearly £1m for one dinner for more than 40 government leaders and heads of state who attended the event.

Nearly £300,000 was spent building a conference podium, nearly £200,000 upgrading the gardens and grounds, and a total bill for the Sarkozy shower of almost £250,000.

The audit report said the cost soared because of the complications of installing a state-of-the-art shower to the president’s specifications in a listed building.

But, “The president never used it,” says the story adding he instead went back to the Élysée palace to feshen up.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Guardian – Sarkozy spends £250,000 of French EU budget on shower he did not use, October 28, 2009
France – France okays Three Strikes censorship bill,  September 23, 2009
Britain – UK to adopt corporate 3 Strikes plan, October 28, 2009
Germany – Germany says ‘No!’ to 3 strikes law, October 28, 2009
‘pirated’ 400 copies – French prez Sarkozy busted for pirating music, October 9, 2009
different scandal – 3 Strikes Sarkozy, corkscrews and Vivendi, September 25, 2009
Daily Mail – Sarkozy finds a way to boost wife Carla’s singing career… give thousands of her CDs away for free to French ‘ambassadors’, May 5, 2009

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