'Three-strikes' out, speed limits in

The government has all but ruled out using the 'three-strikes' system, promoted by the music industry, to kick web pirates off the internet.

The controversial proposals would see repeat offenders issued with a series of warnings before being disconnected from the web by their ISP.

The BPI, (British Phonographic Industry) has been lobbying the government to enshrine the initiative in next week's final Digital Britain report.

Digital Britain: The key points

However, speaking at the Making Online Music Pay conference this week culture secretary Andy Burnham said "cutting people off" was not the government's preferred option.

Instead he outlined "technical solutions" such as restricting speeds to deal with illegal copying and sharing of files on the internet.

Last month, French politicians initially rejected a bill to implement the three-strike law, though it was later passed when put before the National Assembly a second time.