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In April MEPs narrowly backed an amendment to the Bono Report on the Cultural Industries which urged member states "to avoid adopting measures conflicting with civil liberties and human rights... such as the interruption of internet access".

This time around the vote was far from narrow: 573-74 in favour of the amendment.

"You don't play with individual freedoms like that," says MEP Guy Bono who proposed the amendment, before calling on the French government to revoke its already-implemented three strikes law.

The law would compel ISPs to disconnect file sharers who are caught sharing or downloading copyrighted material online three times.

The head of the UK music industry group, the BPI, said this week that there is "no way" ISPs would cut off file sharers in the UK.