The recording industry is stepping up the battle against online mp3 file swappers - by asking Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to freeze accounts of known music file swappers.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has written to Tiscali and Cable & Wireless asking them to suspend fifty nine music sharers.

The BBC reports that the BPI is unhappy with many ISPs who ignore the problem.

It was unacceptable for ISPs to turn a "blind eye to industrial-scale copyright infringement", said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson.

"We are providing unequivocal evidence of copyright infringement via their services," he said.

"It is now up to them to put their house in order and pull the plug on these people."

Both Tiscali and Cable & Wireless had terms of use which banned copyright infringement, the BPI said.

C&W acknowledged it had an "acceptable use policy" for itself and its ISP, Bulldog, which covered illegal filesharing.

"This would normally mean that any accounts used for illegal filesharing are closed. We will take whatever steps are necessary to put the matter right," the firm said in a statement.

Meanwhile Tiscali said: "We do not automatically suspend customer accounts on request, but on occasion do so pending investigation. We are reviewing the information the BPI has provided and will respond appropriately."

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