Madrid - A new study from a Spanish authors' and publishers' society claims the country is Europe's worst offender when it comes to illegal music downloading, its citizens having grabbed over 1.2 billion tracks last year, Billboard reported.

The Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE) report also found a 566% overall growth rate in downloading, as 180 million illegal downloads were tallied in 2003.

Meanwhile, the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) says that 58% of Spanish Internet users downloaded music illegally in 2006, compared with 37% of the overall European Internet population.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/1yp58 (Billboard)

http://www.sgae.es

http://www.eiaa.net