The French National Assembly in Paris during an earlier vote on a law that creates a government agency to track and punish those who pirate music and film on the internet and cut off the internet connections of people who make illegal downloads. (Christophe Ena/Associated Press)

Lawmakers in France's lower house of parliament are to start debate Tuesday on a new version of a bill aimed at cracking down on online piracy by cutting the internet connections of those who illegally download movies and music.

An earlier version of the bill was found to be unconstitutional. Legislators in the National Assembly are to debate the amended bill through Friday, but decided not to take a vote on it until they return from summer recess in September.

The piracy legislation, which has been working its way through parliament for months, has drawn attention from entertainers and internet privacy advocates beyond France's borders.

The music and film industry has applauded the measure, sponsored by President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party. But critics contend it represents a threat to civil liberties and could open the way for invasive government monitoring.

The bill calls for graduated reprisals against alleged offenders. If suspected pirates fail to heed email warnings and a certified letter, their home internet connections could be cut for one month to one year, and they could face fines or even jail time.

The earlier version of the bill would have allowed a new government agency to cut off internet connections, and France's Constitutional Council ruled that was unconstitutional.

The new version of the bill would leave it to a judge to decide whether to cut repeat offenders' connections. Those found guilty could appeal the decision.

Still, the opposition Socialists have threatened to refer the bill to the Constitutional Council again. They have also loaded the bill with more than 700 amendments, in an attempt to slow down the parliamentary debate.

If it passes a vote in the lower house, the National Assembly, the legislation will need to be examined by a committee of lawmakers from the upper and lower houses of Parliament and submitted to a new vote in both houses before it becomes law.

The Canadian government also has plans to introduce new copyright legislation this fall, and on Monday started consultations with industry and consumer groups over what shape the legislation should take. The government introduced a bill last summer that was roundly criticized as unfair to consumers, though it did not go so far as to contain a "three strikes" provision.