PARIS -- French National Assembly on Tuesday approved for the first time an online copyright protection bill which sparked disputes in the country.

The bill will enable authorities to track illegal downloading on the Internet and disconnect the repeat offenders.

According to the act, for the first time, those who illegally download materials via the Internet will receive a warning e-mail, then a warning mail for the second time.

In addition, repeated Internet pirates' net connections will be cut for one to 12 months. During that period, no personal applications for reopening the Internet access would be accepted while the offenders must continue paying their Internet providers.

The act was passed with 296 votes for and 233 against. It is expected to receive final approval from the Upper House or the Senate on Wednesday.

The act has sparked disputes in the country when opponents considered it "inefficient, outdated and unworkable."

Some have also criticized it for contradicting with laws of the EU, which passed an amendment bill at the beginning of this month ruling that the access to the Internet should be cut only according to decisions from judicial institutions.

However, the act has gained major support from the music industry, the entertainment companies and the artists.

The latest figures showed that France is among the countries most seriously hurt by online piracy. In 2007 alone, illegal downloading of online music, videos and books has brought France an economic loss of over 1.1 billion euros (1.5 billion U.S. dollars).

Source: Xinhua