Ed Vaizey, the UK Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, has criticised the continued legal action by ISPs BT and TalkTalk in respect of implementing aspects of the Digital Economy Act. Vaizey, in a keynote speech at the Intellect Consumer Electronics Conference in London, noted that in cross-industry discussions his department had facilitated on combating the threat of websites that illegally provided access to copyright material, rights holders wanted a procedure that made the court process as smooth as possible, but had met resistance from the major ISPs. "I find their attitude quite odd – litigating against an Act of Parliament," he said. "We're trying to encourage ISPs and rights holders to work together. He also noted parallel efforts in the US to address the issue. "If a voluntary agreement comes out of the US, it'll be a game-changer," he declared. BT and TalkTalk were refused permission on June 20th to appeal against their failed legal challenge of the Digital Economy Act.