The French Senate voted 297 to 15 in support of the anti-piracy law but now the French National Assembly must give its final approval before the new law is passed and comes into force.
The idea for the law against Internet pirates was first come up with in November 2007, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy described it as a: "a decisive moment for the future of a civilised Internet".
Internet watchdogs will be set up and anyone found to be illegally sharing copyrighted works, such as music tracks or films, will be warned twice, but if they do not heed these warnings then they will be disconnected.
French politicians had already rejected an amendment, by Bruno Retailleau of the right-wing MPF party, which suggested imposing fines instead of disconnecting the pirates.
