French Senate Approves Revised Piracy Bill

PARIS: The French Senate has adopted a revised version of the country’s controversial anti-piracy law, after a provision in the original edition was struck down for being unconstitutional.

Last month, the Constitutional Council nixed the provision in the Creation and Internet bill that enabled a new state agency, HADOPI (the Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des Oeuvres et la Protection des droits sur Internet) to cut off the web access of anyone who, after two warnings, continued to download illegal content. France’s highest legal body ruled that only a judge could bar an individual’s access to the Internet.

The revamped version of the bill that passed today now puts the fate of three-time offenders in the hands of a judge. The judge can levy a fine of up 300,000 euros or a two-year jail sentence.