The French government is reportedly redrafting its copyright protection bill after political manoeuvrings in the country's Parliament at the end of last year transformed legalisation designed to combat illegal file sharing so that it essentially legalised P2P.
Government officials withdrew their original bill after opposition members in the parliament radically altered the proposals after arguing the original legislation favoured the rights of content owners over the rights of consumers.
To placate those opposition politicians, the redrafted bill is expected to make concessions regarding consumer rights. According to the Agence France-Presse the amendments have been ordered by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and will include the enshrinement into law of the right for consumers to make private copies of music and films they buy.
The new bill will also distinguish between those who profit from illegal downloading, and those who occasionally download tracks or movies for private use. For the latter a more moderate system will be put in place to stop downloading, sending downloaders a warning email and formal letter before fining them.