Bono has weighed into the filesharing debate on the side of the major labels, in an editorial marking the beginning of a new decade in the New York Times. The musician lists 10 things he'd like to see in the 2010s, including a desire for the internet to be more heavily policed for copyright infringement.

The Irish rocker said: "A decade's worth of music file-sharing and swiping has made clear that the people it hurts are the creators — in this case, the young, fledgling songwriters who can’t live off ticket and T-shirt sales like the least sympathetic among us".

As with Lars Ulrich of Metallica and Lily Allen's similar outbursts, fans have reacted angrily. One fan on the U2 Interference forums said: "what Bono and (U2 Manager, Patrick) McGuinness are calling for feels more like a desperate attempt by the record labels to preserve their old and dying business model rather than coming up with a new model to fit the current climate".

In Britain, plans for monitoring systems will see £25 added to every broadband bill in the country - something which is vigorously opposed by many sectors of industry, including ISPs, musicians, and even MI5.

Is increased policing of copyright on the web worth the expense? Or is it futile in the face of tech-savvy pirates who are always a step ahead of the monitoring techniques? Lets us know what you think in the comments.