French plans to legalise p2p downloading are still being debated while an alarmed corporate music industry does everything it can to block the process.

France proposed the move in December, 2005, and French president Jacques Chirac recently, "added his opinions to the somewhat confusing debate on illegal file sharing that has been doing the rounds in French political circles in the last few weeks," although his views didn't clarify anything.

But EMI boss Eric Nicoli has no doubts, calling the plan an "aberration".

Now, "France's Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres is set to be questioned about the draft on Wednesday by the parliamentary commission for cultural affairs and the commission for economic affairs," says Reuters.

"The project has worried the music, film and television industries because it would make France the first country to allow unlimited peer-to-peer downloading for a flat fee of several euros a month, going on, "Some legalised versions of peer-to-peer networks are starting to crop up, including one expected to be launched soon in Germany by Warner Bros."

This is in reference to In2Movies, a fake p2p service slated for release next month.

"We are concerned and monitoring the situation closely," Reuters has a spokeswoman for the Big Four's IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) saying.

France should now expect warnings about dire consequences to the Big Four and its artists and employees from IFPI boss John Kennedy if the proposal goes through.

"The draft law, which originally aimed to tackle online piracy, is backed by consumer groups in France but heavily opposed by such companies as Vivendi Universal, which owns Universal Music, the world's biggest record company, and a stake in film and TV company NBC Universal," states Reuters.

Also See:
confusing debate - Chirac on p2p file sharing, January 12, 2006
aberration - EMI attacks French p2p plan, January 22, 2006
Reuters - France's legal file-sharing plan advancing, February 3, 2006
fake p2p service - Warner Bros p2p 'file sharing', Januaryy 30, 2006