New technology limits digital music piracy

The Fraunhofer Institute has successfully researched a first technique that allows to limit digital music piracy on the network. This technology was developed for a fairly popular audio format today: MP3.

This is a software system that allows to track music files during sharing on peer-to-peer networks. This software system is based on the own digital labeling technology.

Although this labeling technology is nothing new, it is still used by a large number of music labels to mark their products. However, this is the first time, this technology has been applied to monitor the sharing of audio files on peer networks.

This technology allows digital music providers such as music studios to paste a 'label' (watermark) on a music file as a sign of their legal copyright on the music. This 'Label' changes the content of the track, which may be a bit more intense than usual. For images, a region's color may be brighter than usual. This label also contains a "disorderly" number that aims to create a link between suppliers and buyers. This messy number has the same meaning as a fingerprint.

Personal freedom?

Scientists at Fraunhofer said that this technique basically does not violate the law of personal freedom, ie not tracking customers. It only tracks music uploaded illegally for peer-to-peer (peer-to-peer) sharing. For example, you buy a copyrighted music CD CD and lend it to a friend. The friend copied and released the music on the network in a peer-to-peer form. At that time the tracking system will detect and trace that you are an illegal copy of the music.

Downloaded tracks will not need to be controlled. You can only download when authorized by the manufacturer. Therefore, the freedom of the people is not violated. You have not been followed.

Reportedly, this technology will be demonstrated next month at the Cebit trade conference.

TRAN HUY