Doreen Carvajal

In a backlash against the retail giant Amazon, France is preparing to impose new restrictions that would bar online merchants from offering free shipments of discounted books.

New legislation, designed to protect thousands of local bookstores, and nicknamed the anti-Amazon law, was passed by the French Senate. It will not formally take effect until after the president signs it.

But the state’s culture minister, Aurélie Filippetti, has already publicly backed the measure, which has drawn support from conservative and liberal politicians. The minister called the ban “a sign of the deep commitment of the nation to books.”