France’s lower house has voted 296 to 233 in favour of adopting the hotly-disputed Creation and Internet law.
The measure is expected to be passed by the Senate on Wednesday (May 13) after originally being rejected last month.
Under the law, people who are caught downloading illegal content three times will be banned from using the internet for up to a year.
Philippe Gosselin (pictured), UMP party member, said: “Even though Internet access may be a fundamental right, it should still be reconciled with other fundamental rights of which respect of ownership is a part.”
Meanwhile, last week, the European Parliament passed a measure to stop national governments from restricting internet access without a hearing. It is at odds with the three-strikes French law. The EU law has not yet received its final stamp of approval.
Industry reaction to the law has been mixed with some profile high profile French actors, including Catherine Deneuve and Victoria Abril protesting against it.
ScreenDaily readers are also sceptical that it will be effective. A poll of 120 people found that 62% do not believe the three-strikes law will be effective in tackling piracy against 37.9% who think it will work.
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