AP reports that French lawmakers in the parliament’s lower house have adopted a controversial bill that would cut the Internet connections of those who repeatedly download music and films illegally. The house voted Tuesday, 296 to 233, to pass the bill, which is likely to be definitively adopted during a Senate vote Wednesday.
The bill, which is a personal priority of President Nicolas Sarkozy, failed to pass in a vote last month when just a handful of lawmakers were present.
The legislation is hotly opposed by the rival Socialists as well as militants who claim that it kills freedoms by denying accused Internet pirates the right to challenge charges against them. International music labels, film distributors and artists have hailed it.