Debate starting on new French Internet piracy bill

Lawmakers in France’s lower house of parliament are to start debate Tuesday on a new version of a bill aimed at cracking down on French online piracy by cutting the Internet connections of those who illegally download movies and music.

An earlier version of the bill was found to be unconstitutional. Legislators in the National Assembly are to debate the amended bill through Friday, but decided not to take a vote on it until they return from summer recess in September.

The piracy legislation, which has been working its way through parliament for months, has drawn attention from entertainers and Internet privacy advocates beyond France’s borders.

The music and film industry has applauded the measure, sponsored by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party. But critics contend it represents a threat to civil liberties and could open the way for invasive government monitoring.

The bill calls for graduated reprisals against alleged offenders. If suspected pirates fail to heed e-mail warnings and a certified letter, their home Internet connections could be cut for a period of one month to one year, and they could face fines or even jail time.

The earlier version of the bill would have allowed a new government agency to cut off Internet connections, however the French Constitutional Council ruled that was unconstitutional.

The new version of the bill would leave it to a judge to decide whether to cut repeat offenders’ connections. Those found guilty could appeal the decision.

Still, the opposition Socialists have threatened to refer the bill to the Constitutional Council again. They have also loaded the bill with more than 700 amendments, in an attempt to slow down the parliamentary debate.

If it passes a vote in the lower house, the National Assembly, the legislation will need to be examined by a committee of lawmakers from the upper and lower houses of Parliament and submitted to a new vote in both houses before it becomes law.

Even as the French lawmakers struggle over the legislation, crafty Internet pirates are already hatching strategies to get around it.

Verbier awaits the Tour de France

It arrives on Sunday and preparations are in full swing for the biggest sporting event the Swiss resort has ever seen.

It is impossible not to know Le Tour is coming.

Posters are plastered all over town, the road up the mountain has been re-surfaced in places, the valley is adorned with advertising hoardings and even the flower beds have been re-arranged to welcome the cyclists and the huge entourage that escorts them.

The town is a buzz with excitement and pretty much all the accommodation is full. Many shops, bars and restaurants that are usually closed at this time of year have opened for business.

Even the resort’s most famous night-club, The Farm, will be open, it’s thought to be the first time it has ever opened in the summer.

“Everybody in Verbier is really excited with the arrival of the Tour de France. There will be a big party where everybody is going to celebrate the champions of this very thorough race, which is at the same time a big show,” says Pierre-Yves Deleze who is deputy director of Tourism and on the organising committee.

“I hope the weather will play the game, so that magnificent pictures of Verbier can be broadcasted all over the world. For me, as for the whole organising committee, this will be the culmination of one year of very hard work. We hope the result will match our expectations!”

It’s estimated around 150,000 people will line the route along the valley floor from Martigny to Le Chable, before the riders tackle the 8.5km up to the resort.