The outcome of the legislative process that will make France one of the most rigorous countries in the world in the fight against Internet piracy is getting closer and closer. The lower house of the French Parliament today voted in favor of the diploma, which since the original version has undergone profound «reforms» to reconcile interests within the government party itself, which proposed it, and with French legislation, which clashed with one of the measures envisaged .
The Senate’s approval of the «reformed» version took place in July, but contrary to what the country’s Prime Minister intended, it was no longer possible to complete the process before the parliamentary holidays.
Although the draft law has yet to go through two more votes, from specialized committees of the two chambers of Parliament, it is unlikely that the process will suffer any further setback, as the most relevant steps of the legislative pilgrimage are completed.
The most controversial measure of the Law is the deprivation of access to the Internet for those who repeat the crime of piracy three times. It is in the proposed law but no longer in the initial configuration, which provided for the application of this penalty by a regulatory body, which will be created to monitor compliance with the new Law.
The proposal offended French law and the drafters of the text had to change it in order to make a judge’s decision necessary to apply this type of sanction.
Other harsh measures also remain, such as the possibility of imprisonment for those who «pirate» or fines up to 300 thousand euros.
