Under the new proposals gardai will have the power to seize vehicles involved in the door-to-door sale of illegal DVD's and the courts will have the power to impose harsher penalties.

Launching the interdepartmental committee report, Minister Ahern said the volume and sophistication of piracy had grown massively in recent years and the production and sale of pirated DVDs was now a serious business in Ireland.

Gardai seized 76,569 illegal DVD's last year and 62,724 already so far in 2008.

"There seems to be a casual assumption that the only victims of this type of crime are faceless international corporations or millionaire movie stars. This is not the case.

"Ordinary employment and business livelihoods are threatened right here in Ireland, whether it is in the production of films or their sale or distribution in cinemas and retail outlets," Minister Ahern said.

The report compiled by department chiefs, gardai and revenue, recommends the Garda Commissioner assign responsibility to tackle piracy to a named officer in each garda regional area.

The report also suggests changes in legislation including powers for gardai to seize goods and vehicles without a warrant, where there are reasonable grounds to believe pirated items are being sold.

Minister Dermot Ahern said that beating criminals in their multi-million euro business would be a challenge and would require a change in consumer attitudes. "It is clear that for some people the economic dynamics of the crime are powerful ones, making it difficult to eliminate," he admitted.