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Digital Economy Bill approved by House of Commons
Controversial clauses to be further examined

Carrie-Ann Skinner

The controversial Digital Economy Bill, which includes measures to tackle internet piracy, has been approved by the House of Commons and will become law.

The bill, which was debated for the second time yesterday, received 189 votes and will now be passed back to the House of Lords for final approval.

The bill includes a 'three strikes' rule that will see those suspected of illegal downloading issued with letters from their ISP regarding their activities.

Copyright owners will be allowed to ask a court to order ISPs to reveal the name and addresses of illegal file-sharers so they can start legal action.

Finally, repeat offenders could also face technical measures including a temporary ban from the internet.

However, under amendments made to the bill yesterday, technical measures to tackle internet piracy won't come into force for at least a year and half after the bill is made legislation and only after clear evidence of offenders' illegal activities has been presented.

The new parliament will also be allowed to study and amend the most controversial issues of the bill. A public consultation into these issues will also take place.