Berlin - The music industry's anger at illegal copying of pop music dominated speeches Wednesday at the start of Popkomm, a three-day annual industry talkfest in Berlin.

Robin Gibb, formerly of the Bee Gees, was typical of senior artists and recording industry executives worried about the decline in royalty earnings.

Speaking as president of CISAC, an international union of royalty- collecting agencies, Gibb said he would be suing the European Commission at the European Court of Justice. He is complaining that the European Union is imposing unfair rules on the industry's business operations.

The industry blames the slump on the worldwide spread of digital music and seeks more political leverage against those they call pirates.

Measured in revenues earned by recording companies, the industry has shrunk nearly 40 per cent so far this century as pop fans, who are mostly young, swap songs by digital copying.

Ali Riza Binboga of Turkey's royalties-collecting agency MESAM, said the news was not all bad for the industry.

"Six of our government ministries have come up together with solutions to protect our copyrights more effectively," he said.

Turkey is partner country this year for Popkomm.

The event at the Berlin fairgrounds has attracted 843 exhibitors from 52 nations, including recording companies, music publishers, online distributors and technology companies.

Some 400 acts will perform at Berlin clubs during Popkomm. Some groups are already top names, such as the Finnish rock band Lordi and Scotland's Travis. Others are still small and hoping to catch executives' eyes. (dpa)