British ISPs have agreed to send letters to offending subscribers, but termination is not part of the plan.  On Thursday morning, label trade group BPI announced the partnership with access providers, one that involves the delivery of thousands of letters to suspected infringers. 

But those letters are warnings only, not termination threats, according to clarifications by various ISPs.  The BPI, despite initially indicating otherwise, clarified the matter with Digital Music News later in the day.  "We should stress that in signing this MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] the ISPs have not committed to three step," the group underscored.  "They have agreed to send 'step one' letters ... but not threaten disconnection."

That was mostly known to the parties involved, as well as those within the industry.  But the larger question is whether the BPI can move beyond "step one," and into more serious levels of enforcement.  Stateside, RIAA-authored letters are anything-but friendly warnings, though the aggressive legal strategy has been mostly unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, the situation remains fluid, especially under the threatening supervision of the British government.  In June, legislators intensified their efforts to drive voluntary agreements between various industry stakeholders, according to numerous executives involved in the process.  Those sources continue to point Digital Music News to ongoing discussions, ones that have also included blanket-level, ISP charges for unlimited music access.