French lawmakers on Thursday rejected a new internet piracy bill that would cut off illegal downloaders from the internet, in a surprise setback for President Nicolas Sarkozy s government. But the government played down the defeat in the National Assembly, saying the bill would return to parliament on April 28. One of the world s toughest internet piracy bills, the French creation and internet law would set a precedent for global efforts to stamp out the online piracy of music, films and video games. Under a three-strikes system, a new state agency would send illegal downloaders an e-mail warning, then a letter, and suspend their internet account for up to a year if they are caught more than twice. Approved earlier by the Senate, France s upper house, the bill was defeated by a vote of 21 to 15 in a near-empty lower house. Two members of Sarkozy s right-wing majority joined the left-wing opposition in voting against, in protest at the last-minute reinstatement of a provision saying banned users must continue to pay their internet bills. Sarkozy, in a statement issued by his office, said he would fight for the bill s adoption and would not give up because of derisory moves that have the effect of harming creative diversity. This law is the result of an agreement between artists, producers and telecommunications companies, the statement said. Some technology and telecoms groups have criticized the draft legislation, however. Culture Minister Christine Albanel accused the opposition of staging a woeful comedy after about a dozen members turned up at the last minute to vote. This vote delays the adoption of the text but it won t block it, said deputy Roger Karoutchi from the governing right-wing party. Socialist MP Patrick Bloche said the outcome of the vote was a personal defeat for Sarkozy, who had championed the bill and whose wife singer Carla Bruni released her third album last year. The French move to ban illegal downloaders replaces current penalties of up to three years in prison and ?300,000 ($398,000) in fines. Similar plans in New Zealand were derailed by protests earlier this year, and several European countries including Britain, Germany and Sweden have decided against cut-off measures. In both the United States and Ireland, the record industry has enlisted internet Service Providers (ISPs) to help root out online piracy. Several major US access providers have started sending out warning letters to illegal downloaders with suspension as a last resort threat, but reports suggest only a handful of users have been banned. The French bill is backed by the international film and record industries, and more than 10,000 French artists, filmmakers and musicians, from Johnny Hallyday to Catherine Deneuve, have signed a petition in its support. Supporters of the bill hope the threat of being cut off will wean web users away from pirated films and music, and towards fledgling legal download sites. But the scheme has been attacked by consumer groups, who complain users would be cut off before having a chance to challenge the accusations. The Socialist opposition charges that it amounts to state surveillance of the web since copyright holders would be able to access data on web traffic to track down and report illegal downloaders. The French telecoms federation opposed the ban as a disproportionate response to piracy and a major technical headache for access providers. A French umbrella group representing 180 high-tech and online businesses had urged the government to shelve the bill and allow the industry to come up with a better answer to piracy. Internet experts also warn the bill has been overtaken by technology, since it targets file-sharing or download sites just as piracy is shifting towards easy-to-use video streaming websites. -AP
