Sarkozy took a hit Thursday when French legislators said no to an internet piracy bill he regards as a top priority. The bill was designed to punish people caught illegally downloading music and films.

The vote against the legislation was 21 to 15. Two members of Sarkozy's government joined opposition Socialists in voting against the measure.

If the legislation had passed it would have used a "three strikes" system to penalize downloaders. They would have received e-mail warnings for the first two offenses. A third offense would have led to a certified letter and subsequent illegal downloads would have resulted in user's internet connections being cut for up to a year.

Some politicians have described the move as a type of 'Big Brother' intrusion on civil liberties. The term "liberticide" has been coined to drive the point home.

There is a good deal of support for the anti-position, especially given that the European Parliament adopted a nonbinding resolution that defines internet access as a "fundamental freedom".

Socialist parliamentarian Patrick Bloche described the bill as "dangerous, useless, inefficient, and very risky for us citizens."

The bill was heavily backed by both the film and record industries that have seen a decline in revenues.

The government isn't taking no for an answer. They are going to introduce an amended version of the bill for another vote later this month.