Thousands of British internet users have been issued with letters from solicitors representing the Ministry of Sound] demanding compensation for alleged illegal downloading of its music.  According to the Guardian, the music label instructed its solicitors, Soho firm Gallant Macmillan, to send the letters to the suspected downloaders, threatening them with court action unless they agree to pay the compensation of around £350.

It’s not the first law firm to do this however; ACS: Law has sent out letters on behalf of its clients demanding compensation of up to £1,000.

According to the Guardian, worryingly, many recipients of the letters claim they had no knowledge of the downloaded files. The Guardian, quotes 23 year old Luke Bellamy, who lives at home and received a nine page letter from ACS:Law. Bellamy said, “Getting a letter like this is extremely worrying. I have never downloaded anything from this website and yet I am being chased for this money. My parents have been worried by this, and frankly I've got better things to do with my time than deal with this."