Fake copies of tracks from Robbie Williams' new album Escapology, which is released on Monday, have appeared on the internet, according to reports.

The songs have on online music download sites such as Morpheus and Kazaa, but they appear to be decoys, reports Reuters.

In some cases, the songs play for under 30 seconds before fading into silence. In other cases, they play without sound.

The practice of placing bogus tracks on the free file-trading services is thought to be the latest weapon in the major music labels' battle against online song piracy.

Music sales

Officially, the record industry will not confirm they are engaged in the practice.

The record industry blames online music services for hitting music sales worldwide.

A spokeswoman for Williams's record label EMI declined to comment on the matter.

EMI, recently signed Robbie Williams to a �80m record contract last month, the biggest deal in UK recording history.

Ironically, the origin of the tracks is thought to be Robbbie Williams' official website where fans have been able to listen to select tracks from Escapology.