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The final chapter in the Star Wars story appeared on a file sharing network yesterday and thousands of fans flocked to download the movie.

As many as 16,000 people are reported to have already downloaded the film and a US consulting firm estimates internet pirating could cost the film's release around $627m (£342m).

According to various reports, there are at least two copies of 'Revenge of the Sith' on the BitTorrent file-sharing network, available to download for free just hours after the movie opened on Thursday morning around the world.

The final episode in the saga tells of Anakin Skywalker's descent to the dark side and the death of democracy as the Republic is swept away and replaced by a galactic empire headed by the dark emperor.

The nightmare scenario mirrors an emerging nightmare of a different kind for Hollywood studios, as they see billions of dollars in revenue lost to online and DVD pirates.

BitTorrent is one of a growing number of peer-to-peer networks that allows users to download whole television shows and movies at increasingly faster speeds.

The BBC was hit by similar problems earlier this year when the first episode of the new 'Doctor Who' series was leaked onto the internet.

BitTorrent and other services are being pursued by the Motion Picture Association of America, which is trying to stop sites that offer so-called "tracker" links that allow file-sharing networks to let people download copyrighted material. The music industry is pursuing a similar course, but stemming the tide is proving difficult.

Music downloading is now part of digital culture and the music industry estimates it has lost billion of dollars.

According to the site Waxy.org, a print of 'Revenge of the Sith' was leaked Wednesday before the film had even made it to cinemas.

In a statement the MPAA president Dan Glickman, said: "There is no better example of how theft dims the magic of the movies for everyone than this report today regarding BitTorrent providing users with illegal copies of 'Revenge of the Sith'.

"The unfortunate fact is this type of theft happens on a regular basis on peer-to-peer networks all over the world."

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