The French proposed "Three-Strikes" initiative (HADOPI), which would have seen illegal broadband file-sharers being disconnected from their ISP for repeat activity following a warning, has been dealt a serious blow by the highest jurisdiction in France - The Constitutionnal Council.

The court ruled that presumption of innocence is more important than acting on a suspicion without knowing whether or not the data held on a person is actually proven (reliable). In short, all sanctioning power (i.e. disconnecting Internet users) has been removed from the HADOPI.


The ruling in a French court does not directly affect the UK, which already appears to have ruled out "disconnection" as a punishment, though it will make it more difficult to push for such a measure in the future.