France is taking a strong stance against Internet piracy. Offenders face high penalties, prison and even a comprehensive online ban.An owner of a peer-to-peer website for swapping music was recently hit with a 20,000 euro fine. Several Internet user groups are trying to resist France’s new legislation. As a sign of protest, thousands of private websites were colored over in black. But many musicians know they can't just base their success on selling CDs. That's why the idea of a ''culture flatrate'' is on the table: every Internet user pays fees that would be directly sent to the artists.