UK Minister of State for Intellectual Property David Lammy has called for the UK and US film industries work together to tackle illegal downloading.

The MP for Tottenham told the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) there is a strong demand for films online, but consumers need to be given an attractive alternative to illegal downloading and filesharing.

Lammy said: “If we provide the right combination of enforcement, education and forward- looking policy we can build a culture that provides consumers with legitimate access to the content they want.”

The creative industries are major contributors to both economies, earning $71bn (£43.4bn) in the US and $19bn (£11.6bn) in the UK annually.

However, according to the UK film industry research almost $1bn (£612.5m) was lost in 2007 as a result of illegal downloading.

Lammy added while online piracy is costing rights owners money, the film industry has to offer products at fair prices and educate consumers about the problems caused by piracy in a bid to encourage consumers to pay.

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