BBC NEWS | Technology | French MPs vote on digital piracy: “In December they backed a move to allow internet users to download as much material as they want in exchange for a small fee.

If it becomes law France would be the first country to authorise the swapping of copyrighted music.

The surprise vote caused outrage among record companies and film producers, who say illegal peer-to-peer (P2P) copying costs their industries millions of euros every year.”