New anti-piracy logo breaks copyright

A font used in the Hadopi logo infringed on the designer's copyright

The French agency tasked with enforcing strict anti-piracy regulations has been left severely embarrassed after the revelation that its logo contains pirated material.

The Hadopi agency unveiled its new logo at a ceremony presided over by French culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand, who said that the agency "finally had a face".

Hadopi will enforce new laws that will strip citizens of internet access after three accusations of piracy, similar to measures championed by Lord Mandelson.

However, within hours Hadopi was forced to withdraw and rework the logo after it emerged that it had used a font owned by France Telecom.

Graphic designer Jean-François Porchez, who created the font for the company in 2000, has said that he is considering legal action over the infringement.

Plan Créatif, the design agency behind the logo, has now admitted that it used the font despite copyright laws, and is changing the design to one that is legal.

The incident is just the latest in a string of embarrassing copyright mistakes by the Sarkozy government, which has strongly supported some of the harshest anti-piracy measures in Europe.

Last year Sarkozy's party was caught out after it illegally used music from American band MGMT at an event and on videos after the band's label refused permission for its use. The party was also found to be illegally copying DVDs of a documentary about the French leader.