After a heated battle, a bill that would have unplugged French Internet pirates was rejected by the country’s Parliament on Thursday.

The anti-piracy Creation and Internet Law proposed a graduated-response system to deal with individuals who perpetrate copyright infringement by illegally downloading films and music and had largely been lauded by the local entertainment industry.

The three-strikes law calls for an independent administrative authority to be comprised of government officials and content providers who would send email and written warnings to illegal downloaders. On the third offense, the copyright violator would have his or her Internet access blocked for up to a year.

A modified version of the bill will be resubmitted later this month when industry sources believe that it will pass.

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