The music industry applauded the decision to make Robbie Williams pay £500,000 damages and £1mn costs for his album Rudebox, yesterday.

"It's just the start of a long line of litigation that this album richly deserves to get pummeled with," said a former boy band manager.

A £27billion class action, being brought by those who bought the album, is set for a preliminary court case early in the new year.