US reveals anti-piracy proposals

Releases like Shrek 2 have been pirated on the internet

US Attorney General John Ashcroft has unveiled proposals to crack down on film and music piracy around the world.

A report commissioned by him calls for five new anti-piracy offices across the US, while officers should be placed in Asia and eastern Europe as well.

It also says internet providers should be forced to reveal the names of those trading copyrighted items online.

The music and film industry loses around $250 billion (£140 billion) from piracy each year.

He said his Department of Justice was building "the most aggressive legal assault against intellectual property crime in our nation's history".

The report, compiled by departmental officials, calls for a crackdown on all offenders from solo operators to international crime rings.

Mr Ashcroft said he supports "fair use" and is not targeting individual rights.

"We are trying to interrupt a massive haemorrhaging occasioned by significant networks of organised individuals who are stealing billions of copies of copywritten materials on a regular basis."

"This is illegal distribution, not fair use."