IRMA plans to sue for MP3 downloads

The Irish Recorded Music Association has announced plans to take legal action against Irish people who illegally download music over the internet.

IRMA said the Irish music industry was losing €3.8m annually because of the practice and had seen its revenue fall from €146m annually to €118m over the past three years.

It also said legal action against music fans worldwide had led to a 21% decline in downloading.

IRMA claimed those responsible for downloading were major distributors, not ordinary music fans.