France To Track And Punish Illegal Downloaders

French law makers have passed a lower house bill on Tuesday that would give the government of France the right to cut off the Internet access of repeat offenders in the illegal downloading battle. "Warnings to culprits would begin with two e-mails followed by a certified letter. If the piracy continues within the following year, access can be cut from two months to a year — while the user keeps paying for the service." according to this article published in the Globe and Mail. The law has its challengers however as some view it in conflict with a measure passed by the European Union a week ago, that would prohibit such measures. At the heart of the controversy is the illegal downloading of music and movies.

French Courts Rule Against ebay

A french court has ruled that ebay must pay 40 million euros in restitution for knock off goods and unauthorized distribution of legitimate goods. LVMH, representing Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Guerlain, Kenzo and Givenchy was awarded the settlement that ebay says it will appeal. At issue was the sale of knock off Louis Vuitton handbags, Christian Dior clothing, and "illicit" Dior, Guerlain, Kenzo and Givenchy perfume that only specialist dealers were permitted to sell. LVMH spokesman Pierre Godet told French news agency AFP that the decision "protected brands by considering them an important part of French heritage". In ebay's defense, Vanessa Canzini, an eBay spokeswoman, said: "If counterfeits appear on our sites, we take them down swiftly, but today’s ruling is not about our fight against counterfeit.

"Today’s ruling is about an attempt by LVMH to protect uncompetitive commercial practices at the expense of consumer choice and the livelihood of law-abiding sellers that eBay empowers everyday.

"We will fight this ruling on their behalf; we will be seeking leave to appeal.”

If ebay can't sell knock offs, what's left?

BBC story here.