A man who downloaded Rihanna songs became, on Thursday, the first Frenchman convicted for illegal download of music, according to the Belfort police court (eastern France), says AFP.

The man, who risks a fine of 1,500 euros, was sentenced to pay 150 euros after his internet connection was used to download two songs from the famous singer, Rihanna. The Frenchman had already received several warnings from the High Authority for the dissemination of works and protection of rights on the Internet (HADOPI).

According HADOPI, the defendant admitted at the hearing that he hasn’t fulfilled his obligation to secure the internet connection, saying that it was his wife who downloaded the songs. The Frenchman, who defended himself in court in front of the Belfort police, was convicted of negligence.

The file is just one of the 14 submitted to the justice department by the ‘rights protection commission’, HADOPI is responsible for implementing a ‘gradual response’ against illegal download, along with the legislation that came into effect on the 1st of October 2010. Since then, HADOPI sent over one million email warnings to subscribers regarding their illegal downloads on the Internet. A total of 100,000 Internet users received a second email warning, only 340 of them continuing after the second stage. Transmission of files in court comes after a conviction of Internet users and a further observation of their behavior afterwords. The Belfort case is the first case of its kind settled by a court, said HADOPI.

About Alex Tenea

Expert in the field of Technology. I am in touch with the latest tech news and I always want to try out gadgets before writing on them. I am always searching for hot stuff and I only write on the things I know it is worth writing about.

I am passionate about the ICT industry, whether it’s smartphones, laptops or tablets, and in my spare time I like to keep updated with the latest developments in the world of sports and science.

Feel free to contact me for anything.