French Parliament Approves 'Three-Strikes' File-Sharing Bill

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 15, 2009 - 9:46am.

Paris - France's Parliament has approved a new bill that would suspend the Internet connections of repeat file-swappers, and must now clear a final committee before becoming law, the Associated Press reports. The bill passed on Tuesday in the National Assembly, after being approved in the Senate in July. A similar bill passed earlier this year was deemed unconstitutional by France's Constitutional Council.

The new bill requires a judge's intervention before a user's Internet connection is suspended, unlike the previous version -- where a new agency would be created to handle complaints from copyright holders.

The current bill would first provide both e-mail and certified mail warnings to file-swappers, who could then be subject to having their Internet connections severed for up to a year.

Other penalties, including jail time and a fine of up to $435,000, could also be assessed.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/rvso0 (AP)