Spain's entire audiovisual sector has banded together tolaunch a fully-fledged attack on the pirates which it claims cost the industryEuros 700 million in 2003.

But evenas the ICAA film institute, the producers lobby FAPAE, the authors rights'collection society EGEDA and anti-piracy body FAP were announcing details of anad campaign to drive the pirates out, copies of The Day After Tomorrow (stillon 478 screens in Spain) and Troy (465 screens) were widely available onthe streets of Madrid for Euros 5.5 and Euros 4 respectively.

"We'rehere to represent all sectors of the audiovisual industry in saying "enough!"to the continuous and blatant theft of intellectual property which takes placeevery day on the streets of our cities and over the internet," said FAPpresident Jordi Molis. "It's shameful that the mafia is winning this battle."

Spain hasone of the worst piracy problems in Europe: last year, some 10 million filmswere downloaded illegally from the internet here and nine million films weresold on the street, the most popular being Finding Nemo, The Passion of theChrist and local title Dias De Futbol. The FAP estimates that 840people have been arrested in connection with piracy in the first four months ofthis year.

While thenew campaign includes cinema ads and warnings on rental videos and DVDS, Molisalso didn't rule out pushing the government for measures to punish people whobuy the bootleg copies.

It wasalso the first official appearance by the new director general of ICAA, ManuelPerez Estremera.