EU crackdown on product piracy

THE European Parliament passed a contentious directive yesterday to crack down on the piracy of products including football shirts, video games and CDs.

Consumer groups are furious and say the legislation will allow private homes to be raided and children and their parents to be sued for downloading music from the internet.

Opponents say the directive was rushed through in a bid to beat enlargement because the new member states, where piracy is rife, would be unlikely to vote in favour after May 1. Governments are expected to approve it in Brussels this week and will have two years to implement it.