An internet user in France has been partly disconnected from the internet and with that he is the first victim of the controversial three strikes legislation introduced to fight piracy. The three strikes legislation, also known as HADOPI law or Creation and Internet law makes it possible to disconnect users that are repeatedly caught for file sharing.
Based on the complaint of a content owner, the offender first receives an e-mail warning asking to stop any illegal downloads. The second step is a certified letter to the owner of the internet connection used to download illegal content. The third and last step affects the internet connection of the offender. In this case the French user in question will have fifteen days of reduced internet.
His provider needs to block access to all services, except e-mail, VoIP and chat services. Besides the reduced internet, the user also has to pay a fine of 600 EURO. The only way to get out is to appeal to the decision within 10 days, or else the penalty goes in effect.
The first conviction comes at a time where it's unsure if the controversial three strikes law remains to exist. In May this year, a government commission concluded that the severe penalty would need to be replaced by lower fines.
The commission also advised to introduce a copyright levy, where users pay a small fee on each device that can be used to play digital content and is common in countries surrounding France. A year ago the French government already announced that it would critically examine the three strikes law.
