Valantin Lacambre is cofounder of Gandi (Management and attribution of domain names on Internet), principal Registrar French, with Laurent Chemla, also at the origin of the creation of the Fédération Internet and Freedoms (WIRE) and is founding member of the permanent Coordination of the media free.

It was before at the origin of the creation of the service minitel " 3615 INTERNET" allowing to connect itself to Internet via a minitel. That brought back sufficient incomes to him (100 000 francs per month whereas 10.000 francs per month are enough for him to live), and allowed him to launch in 1992 service of lodging of Web sites Altern.

Valentine Lacambre and the 3 other cofounders of the Gandi company resold their shares in September 2005 for 13.35 million euros.

Business Altern.org

In 1989, the mannequin Estelle Lefébure had been taken in photograph in deprived by his/her boyfriend. It had been taken in particular in photograph whereas it was naked. Estelle left this boyfriend then it married with David Hallyday, which has, partly, propelled her notoriety and allowed him to become a very famous mannequin. However, a few years ago, the newspaper “ Voici ” was condemned to have diffused these deprived photographs of exclusiveness, the photographs having been provided by the ex boyfriend without the authorization of Estelle Hallyday. Beginning 1998, these photographs (extracted) were diffused on the site http://www.altern.org/silversurfer by an unknown which digitized them of an old number of the newspaper “ Voici ” and put them on the site of anonymous and free lodging “ altern.org ” managed by Valentine Lacambre. Estelle Hallyday prosecuted this shelterer for the damage undergone because of massive diffusion of these photographs on Internet network. The Court of Appeal recognized the responsibility for the shelterer owing to the fact that it made it possible whoever to be lodged in any anonymity (the shelterer did not make sure of the identity of lodged). The Court of Appeal of Paris ruling in summary procedure condemned the shelterer to pay: 300000 francs of provisions on damages and: 30000 francs of lawyer expenses with Mrs Estelle Hallyday. A financial agreement will be carried out on April 17th, 1999 between lawyers of Valentine Lacambre and those of Estelle Hallyday.

In June 2000, the shortly after the vote of the law on the freedom of communication, Valentine Lacambre summarizes the business: “ " I did not expect that the text is voted in the state, explains Valentine Lacambre. I do not want any to find me Monday with 3 or 4 ushers in front of my door. In any event I do not have money. I do not want to go against this legislation.

I also wonder about the range of the obligation which is thus made to the suppliers of access. Do I have to check the declarations of identity of the editors of perso pages? Do I have to ask for to them a copy of their indentity card? I do not feel the police heart. In any event we already had means of investigation to identify the authors of sites with the conservation of the data of connection which make it possible to know the computer of the person in question. In fact I do not see myself me natural person managing a file of 30.000 personnes."

I do not know if I will be able to continue lodging, I still wait a few days to collect between the opinion of my lawyers and tomorrow I leave to join some other strange characters like me with Millau in the Larzac. I also hope to be able to go to bathe me and for the remainder one will see the next week. (July 2000)”

Known quotations

“ Nothing with Peter the trolls who say that GIF it is with them. Initially Internet it is with me! ” in 2000 on the mailing-list of altern.org, in connection with the bookstore GD of PHP on its platform of lodging.

External bonds

• interview on 01net
• rezo.net Valentine Lacambre was one of the principal inspirers of rezo.net
• the End of Altern.org (Newspaper of the Net)

Random links:

Mode of production | Dom Pérignon | Yagbéa-Syon | Crowd | Abramowicz handbook