The French Senate took another step forward in its attempt to battle against repeat offender Internet pirates, after announcing that a proposed "three strikes" law only has one hurdle left before becoming law.
According to European media reports, the vote passed with 297 votes in favor, and only 15 votes against. The French National Assembly now has final say as to whether or not the bill is passed.
Pirates will first receive an e-mail warning them to stop pirating copyrighted material, then will have their Internet access terminated.
The French government will create a new agency designed to deal with anti-piracy issues, along with educating the public about anti-piracy laws. Furthermore, the government will urge companies to install measures so employees are not able to easily share content.
The right-wing MPF party's Bruno Retailleau originally wanted to issue fines to pirates instead of Internet termination, but that idea was quickly rejected by other politicians. Retailleau claimed that the Internet is an "essential commodity" and using a fine would reduce piracy while letting guilty parties continue to have access to the Web.
French lawmakers could eventually butt heads with the EU over its three strikes law. In April, the EU decided that kicking people off the Internet conflicted with "civil liberties and human rights."
