France passes internet piracy bill

FRENCH lawmakers in the lower house passed a bill that would cut the internet connections of those who repeatedly download music and films illegally, creating what may be the first government agency to track and punish online pirates.

The bill passed 296 to 233 in a show of force by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s governing conservatives after an initial failure last month.

The senate is set to definitively pass the measure today. But even then, the battle will be far from over.