ISPs and music industry set for meeting of minds.(Conference news)

A major conference next week is likely to concentrate the minds of the ISP community and the music industry as they continue to press for a voluntary agreement on filesharing.

The ISP Future Content Models and Enforcement Strategies Summit on July 7-8 will see input from British Music Rights chief executive Feargal Sharkey and the BPI's general counsel Kiaron Whitehead.

The summit, which takes place at the Holiday Inn in Kensington, comes at a critical time for both sides, with the music industry - steered principally by the BPI and Sharkey - pushing for partnerships with ISPs to cut out illegal filesharing and also to develop new commercial services for their customers before the Government presses the button on legislation.

What is more, it takes place less than a month after BT reportedly threatened one of its internet customers with disconnection after BPI evidence showed that she had illegally downloaded a Girls Aloud song.

Now it is hoped the forthcoming conference will serve as an opportunity for the two sides to continue their dialogue. And, although negotiations still remain a long way away from the BPI's preferred "three strikes" option, there have been positive moves of late, with Virgin Media trialling a new downloading education campaign for its customers.

"Everyone agrees on where we need to be, and we are ...