Gary Locke, the US Commerce Secretary, said that digital piracy threatened America’s economic competitiveness.

In a speech at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, Mr Locke called on internet service providers and copyright holders to “work collaboratively” to combat digital piracy. He echoed comments made by Joe Biden, the US Vice-President, who said piracy was “unadulterated theft” and should be dealt with accordingly.

“We are trying to figure out how we shut out the pirates, while preserving the internet as an avenue for commerce for music and for other creative industries,” he said.

Mr Locke said the internet was a “double-edged sword” which both threatened traditional business models as well as provided new opportunities.

“On the one hand, online copyright infringement is a growing threat, with cyberlockers as well as peer-to-peer, file sharing, streaming and user generated content sites providing a constant challenge to the music industry,” he said. “But the internet, if used correctly, can be a great growth engine.”

Mr Locke has pledged his support to international efforts to strengthen copyright law, and for the enforcement of existing laws and penalties against digital pirates. He said that it was the artists and songwriters who stood to lose the most from illegal filesharing.

Locke’s statements came a week after Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, declared that copyright law “isn’t working” because internet service providers are allowed to turn a blind eye to customers’ unlawful activities with impunity.  Hollywood and recording studios have been pushing for the removal of online pirates from the internet in what is largely known as “three strikes” or “graduated response” policy.