Paris  - France's highest constitutional authority has rejected a controversial French law that would have cut off internet access to web users who repeatedly download copyrighted music, films or video games without paying, French media reported Thursday.

The Constitutional Council declared Wednesday that access to the internet was a fundamental human right and could not be cut off by any authority but a court of law.

As passed by the French parliament in May, the law gave the right of punishment to a government watchdog agency, not a court.

The function of the administrative body, the Council said, was merely to warn web users that they had been illicitly downloading copyrighted content.

Under the "three strikes" legislation, illegal downloaders were first to be sent an e-mail by the agency. A second infraction would provoke a second e-mail as well as a registered letter. Internet cut-off was to follow a third illicit download within a year.

The law is a blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy and his culture minister, Christine Albanel, both of whom lobbied hard to get the legislation passed and had much of France's traditionally left-leaning artistic community behind them.

Albanel said she would revise the law and have another bill ready for a vote before summer. (dpa)