GLOBAL technology giants are to blame for many of the disproportionately high prices Australians pay for downloaded music, DVDs and software, a government department says.

But the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has played down the case for tougher laws that would force foreign companies to charge Australians less.

A long-running gripe of consumers is that some products on iTunes cost twice as much here as overseas. DVDs and software also cost significantly more in Australia.

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the price gap, the department said pricing decisions of international distributors were often the main reason Australians paid more.

''In some cases it appears likely that decisions by international distributors are the primary causes of price differences between Australia and other markets,'' the submission said.