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French government decides against cutting off Internet access for alleged pirates

Published Jun 3rd, 2013 11:45PM EDT
France Internet Anti-Piracy Law

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Good news for French Internet users: Illegally downloading the new Daft Punk album will no longer get your Internet service cut off. Ars Technica reports that the French government has decided to do away with a provision of an anti-piracy law that allowed regulators to cut off Internet service for users who have repeatedly ignored warnings against pirating copyrighted content. Ars notes that although the government never actually cut off any alleged pirates’ Internet services, it simply didn’t think that cutting off someone’s web access should even be a viable option. Fleur Pellerin, France’s digital minister, said that “it’s not possible to cut off someone’s Internet access” because “it’s like cutting off someone’s water.”

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.