During the trial, Tenenbaum admitted under oath that he used KaZaA, LimeWire and other peer-to-peer software to download and distribute music to others.

The Recording Industry Association of America, which has taken the lead against file sharing systems, welcomed the verdict. 'We are grateful for the jury's recognition of the impact of illegal downloading on the music community,' the association said in a

statement.

'We appreciate that Mr Tenenbaum finally acknowledged that artists and music companies deserve to be paid for their work. From the beginning that's what this case has been about.'