A leading music industry figure has labelled attempts to thwart internet file-sharing as a "waste of time".

Peter Jenner, the former manager of Pink Floyd and now emeritus president of the International Music Managers' Forum (IMMF), launched a scathing attack on the music industry's tactics at a Westminster e-Forum.

"Attempts to stop people copying are clearly a waste of time," said Jenner. "Not only are they a waste of time, they make the law offensive. They are comparable to prohibition in the US in the 1920s."

"It's absurd to expect ordinary members of the public to think about what they're allowed to do [with CDs, digital downloads, etc]... and then ask themselves whether it's legal or not," he added.

Jenner said the music industry was fighting against the economics of the internet age. "The marginal cost of a digital file is essentially zero," said Jenner. "That means the market is going to be pushing the cost of digital files to zero. This is an inescapable fact."

"We're fighting against the tide, we're fighting against economic reality."

Jenner said the industry had to consider entirely rewriting copyright law and find new revenue models to preserve the industry. "We have to start thinking radically. Copyright is about the right to copy. We cannot control people's right to copy if they have computers."