Mon Dieu! French parliament approves web ban for illegal downloading

Lawmakers in France, the birthplace of Rousseau and the idea of modern political liberty, have approved one of the most draconian laws ever seen in the fight against digital piracy of music, movies and software.

On Tuesday, the French National Assembly approved a bill, known as HADOPI 2, which would allow a French court to cut off a citizen's internet access after the third instance of copyright infringement. The judge could also impose a fine of up to EU300,000 ($415,000) or two years in a French prison.

"Freedom is not free license, liberalism isn't the jungle," French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand declared Tuesday.