Candidate to the 2022 French presidential election, Eric Zemmour has released a controversial announcement video which potentially infringes on a number of intellectual property rights.
To illustrate historic, cultural and political references, Zemmour used extracts from various third-party sources such as films, documentaries, photos, news broadcasts, football matches, etc.
Director Luc Besson has already reacted to the use of an extract from "Joan of Arc", stating that the images were used "in a fraudulent manner".
A joint statement from France Télévisions, the National Audiovisual Institute and Radio France was issued highlighting that the candidate should respect copyright "just like everyone else".
News channels' logos were also reproduced which may constitute trade mark infringement.
Zemmour's team has responded to infringement allegations by arguing that the video was in compliance with the right to use "short quotations" freely.
Being a political clip, the issue also brings up the question of "moral rights" which are so important to French copyright law.
Complaints have already been raised with YouTube/Google and it will be interesting to see how this develops in the coming weeks. One programme, Quotidien, has estimated its own claim at 100,000 euros, and announced that any damages it receives would be donated to migrant support organisations.
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