Music downloaders fined

Internet "pirates" have been forced to pay thousands of pounds in damages for illegally downloading pop music.

Record industry chiefs said today they had reached out-of-court settlements with 23 cheats, including an IT firm director and local councillor, who paid up to £4,500 each to avoid prosecution.

It comes after the British Phonographic Industry launched a High Court action and threatened to "name and shame" the culprits.

The practice of illegal downloading music through file-sharing sites such as Kazaa and Grokster is estimated to cost the industry hundreds of millions of pounds a year in lost sales. Popular artists including Usher, Outkast and Avril Lavigne are among those whose tracks are repeatedly downloaded for nothing.

While the culprits' names are not being released, the BPI revealed that many were probably teenagers whose parents had agreed to surrender the cash. The oldest, however, is believed to be 58. Most come from London and the South-East.

Industry chiefs say they are poised to launch a further 31 cases against " filesharers" across Britain.

BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said: "This practice effectively steals the livelihood of musicians and the record companies who invest in them. We will not hesitate to protect the rights of our members and the artists they represent."