France Approves Crackdown on Internet Piracy

The French National Assembly on Tuesday approved a plan by President Nicolas Sarkozy to punish digital pirates with the possible suspension of their Internet connections, a little more than a month after the same body had rejected the proposal in a surprise vote.The assembly, the lower house of Parliament, voted 296 to 233 in favor of the bill, the furthest-reaching legislative initiative yet in the global battle by the music and movie industries against unauthorized copying of their works. The bill would create a new agency that would send warning letters to copyright violators; those who ignored two warnings would lose their Internet service.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/13/technology/internet/13net.htmlFrance passes three strikes law against filesharers
French filesharers are in the crosshairs of the country’s police once again, after politicians voted for a controversial “three strikes” law that could see alleged copyright infringers disconnected from the web without legal recourse.The so-called Hadopi bill was approved by the lower house on Tuesday, after a concerted push by Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative government to avoid a repeat of the surprise rejection that took place last month. It is expected to be passed into law by the Senate later this week.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/may/13/france-three-strikesFrench ‘net piracy’ bill passed
A controversial French bill which could disconnect people caught downloading content illegally three times has been passed by the National Assembly.The legislation, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, was surprisingly voted down by the Assembly last month.The bill sets a tough global precedent in cracking down on internet piracy, and is being closely watched by other governments as a potential deterrent.The global music industry has been calling for tougher anti-piracy laws.The Creation and Internet bill was passed by a vote of 296 to 233 by the lower house and will go before the Senate for final approval on Wednesday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8046564.stmFrance to crack down on internet piracy
France is set to introduce the world’s most draconian laws against internet piracy, after parliamentarians voted on Tuesday to give the government powers to cut off offenders’ internet access.The controversial draft law would create an agency to police illegal downloading of copyright material. The bill still has to be voted on by the Senate but is widely expected to be approved in a final vote on Wednesday.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2830123c-3f26-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.htmlFrance ignores EU and passes antipiracy law
The French National Assembly ignored a vote last week by the European Parliament and approved its “Cr?ation et Internet” three-strikes bill on Tuesday.The measure supported by French President Nicolas Sarkozy punishes digital pirates by suspending Internet service if they are caught illegally sharing copyrighted material. The vote comes a little more than a month after the same government body rejected the proposal.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10238912-93.htmlFrance set for showdown with EU after passing 3 strikes law
The French government today got its act together, herded all of its UMP members of parliament into the National Assembly’s hémicycle, and voted through the controversial graduated response law that will disconnect repeat online copyright infringers.Unlike the last go-round, in which nearly all MPs were absent from the chamber during the crucial vote (the bill was defeated 21-15), everyone was present for the second vote. The Création et Internet bill passed 296-233, a move that was widely expected. The bill now goes to the Senate for approval, where it should also pass easily.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/france-set-for-showdown-with-eu-after-passing-3-strikes-law.ars