Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/02/25/french_isp_gives_up/

French ISP gives up the ghost after barrage of legal actions

At least, we think that's what has happened...

By Tim Richardson

Posted in On-Prem, 25th February 1999 12:11 GMT

Altern, a French service provider that hosts Web sites for free, has shut up shop after its owner said he was hacked off with being taken to court. Owner Valentin Lacambre decided enough was enough after facing six separate legal proceedings against him. In one instance he was taken to court for hosting nude pictures of model Estelle Halliday on his service. Although he maintains that he took them down as soon the complaint was made, a court ruled that the service provider -- and not the individual who posted the pictures -- was in breach of copyright. He was told to pay damages to the owner of the pictures. Using AltaVista.com to translate his statement from French to English, Lacambre said: "After six legal procedures to have allowed the public expression of the citizens, I return my apron." "The 47,634 Internet accounts lodged by altern.org go disparaitre or to transform itself into bibendum advertising elsewhere, the company of the spectacle will have had their skin in all the cases." "With each one of you to act, telephone your deputy, the data processing specialist will cultivate his garden," he said. The Register is a little bemused by the translation, and can only assume that M Lacambre has decided to throw in the towel (or maybe that should be trowel?) and that the data processing manager is on gardening leave. ®