The music industry on Monday launched a test case against Kazaa, one of the world's largest file-sharing websites, in a bid to stem rampant internet piracy.

Kazaa, registered in Vanuatu but alleged to be controlled by Australian-based company Sharman Networks, was accused in Australia's federal court of being ?an engine of copyright piracy to a degree of magnitude never before seen?, according to lawyers for leading music companies including Universal, EMI and Warner Music.