The French Internet pirates might be in great danger, as officials are preparing a tough system that will eventually cut off the broadband connections of all people who illegally download music or films over the Internet.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, said that he was backing the “three strikes” policy against online piracy, because “We run the risk of witnessing a genuine destruction of culture.”

The plan works under a so-called “three strikes and you’re out” system, because before being kicked out of the Internet, the pirates will be warned twice by the ISPs. The system’s complex mechanism will be created by an independent panel supervised by a court official. This group will determine when and how often the Internet service providers have to send a warning to people that are illegally sharing files.

The new plan was described by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy as a “decisive movement for the future of civilized Internet”. But after talking about this move, Sarkozy announced another deal that was involving the music and film companies, which would be forced to remove all the technical barriers they may deal with and to quickly make their works available online.

It is obvious that the international recording industry hailed the move and called it “the single most important initiative to help win the war on online piracy that we have seen so far,” as John Kennedy, head of the industry’s trade body IFPI, said. With people restricted from downloading their works for free, the companies’ sales will be boosted.

However, Nicolas Sarkozy warned that it would take time for the new system’s effects to become clear. He also added that “If it works, we will carry on the same way. […] If it does not work well enough, we will take the measures to obtain results.”

Although the music and film industry applauded the initiative, there are politicians and other groups that are worried that this plan might become too restrictive. They said that the system is "very tough, potentially destructive of freedom, anti-economic and against digital history," as the UFC Que Choisir consumer group stated.