'Three strikes' Model Returns to France

The legislation could mean jail sentence or a fine of up to $415,000 USD

The controversial law has been revised and now could become a reality

French government simply won’t let go of their goal to see the “three strikes” policy implemented. Although initially the bill was dismissed as unconstitutional, the French Senate returned today with a new version of the controversial law to make sure that alleged illegal file sharers will be cut off from the Internet at the third copyright infringement.

There’s one more step now as the newly revised bill will be examined by the National Assembly which will either approve (and implement) it or reject it.

The Constitutional Council found the legislation initially unconstitutional because the bill gave a new state agency the power to disconnect people for a year if they were suspected of trading online illegal files.

The bill stipulates that any account holder who allows other family members or friends to download copyright protected content using their Internet connection could face a $2090 USD fine and have their connection suspended for one month.

The Council said that "free access to public communication services on line" was a human right and the law imposed on that right.