MP3 to get open standards digital rights management add-on

"Eventually, digital distribution will be a significant mass market," said Rocky Caldwell, Thomson's director of technology marketing. "We think it will be served well by (digital rights management) that is based on standards. No one else seems to be proposing that."

Thomson and Fraunhofer's rights management technology will be based in large part on open standards the MPEG group and the Open Mobile Alliance are adopting, Caldwell said. The companies will provide free use of the copy protection technology to anyone who licenses the MP3 format, he said.

As with any other digital rights management format, the technology will have to be supported by software players and chipmakers before devices are able to play songs protected by it. The companies are in talks with chip manufacturers and music distribution services now, Caldwell said.