So you can download Spider-Man 1 and 2, but the web taste police will intervene if you try to help yourself to the far suckier Spider-Man 3 and cut off your hands – sorry, your connection. According to the Times, the UK government is planning to follow a general European trend (there’s a first) and force ISPs to cut off users who download illegal files three times.

The first time you’re caught you’ll get a warning email, the second time a suspension and the third time a man will come round with some big wirecutters and physically cut the Internet off, or something.

So who’s happy about this? Well, the recording industry… err… and that’s it. “Piracy stifles innovation and threatens the long-term health of our industry” according to NBC. They’ll be telling us home taping is killing music next.

FYI Spider Man 3 cost around $258 million to make and took more than $890 million worldwide. Stifling numbers.

(Image: from bigmick’s flickr stream)