IFPI boss talks of future and Biem: Kennedy's keynote speech receives warm response from delegates.(Midem)

Midem 2005 provided an opportunity for John Kennedy to come out into the open for the first time as IFPI's new CEO and chairman.

Setting aside the IFPI's digital services press conference in London the previous week, Kennedy made his first high profile appearance in the role as he delivered a keynote speech as part of last Saturday's MidemNet event.

But it was not his only reason to be in Cannes. Kennedy also took the chance to meet Reinhold Kreile, president of international organisation for mechanical rights association Biem and German mechanical rights association Gema, in a bid to kick start negotiations on the IFPI Biem agreement.

"We have had a couple of discussions," says Kennedy. "They are ongoing and feel as though they will be for a while." He confirmed that building a relationship with the publishing community would be one of his priorities this year, including the Biem IFPI discussion. "It is not great that we are seen to be on different sides," he adds.

Kennedy received a positive reception from the MidemNet audience for a speech which saw hint ponder the shape of the industry in the future, but remain firm on the IFPI's programme of legal actions over the past year.

Kennedy insisted that the industry had only reluctantly pursued litigation--"we must be the nicest litigators in the world," he suggested, referring to the programme of education, information, instant messaging and media briefings which prefaced the legal process. "We tried to educate, we tried to raise awareness and then, only as a last resort, did we commence proceedings and only then against the worst offenders," he said.

Kennedy voiced confidence that, when the US supreme court considers who bears responsibility for file-sharing next month, that it "will see that many of these networks are not simply used occasionally for illegal purposes--their predominant purpose is infringing use".