Macrovision the market leader in content production and DRM software will be showcasing its latest Anti-piracy solutions at Midem 2005. Their latest Anti-piracy service known as Hawkeye(TM) will be previewed and aims to significantly reduce the number of copyright infringing files available on file sharing networks using various proprietary techniques.
Since 2002, over 4,000 music albums are using Macrovision's content protection technology, which accounts for over 400 million music CDs worldwide or over 4 billion songs. Their technology is in use by over 22 major and independent record labels and 20 resellers. Macrovision's rip protection prevents users from ripping audio with the exception of through its own software to create DRM copies for suitable portable players or for backing up onto CD, which in turn are protected.
By making it very difficult to rip CDs,
share music or even download unauthorised music, they expect
the success of their solutions to improve the demand on legitimate
music download stores as well as bring people back to the music stores.
DeadMan submitted the following news via our news submit:
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Macrovision's music content protection solution, currently on over 400 million music CDs worldwide, protects over 4 billion music tracks. Over 22 major and independent music labels worldwide and 20 resellers have utilized the Macrovision technology on over 4,000 albums since 2002. "Macrovision is pleased to demonstrate its world-class solutions aimed at reducing the substantial threat to world music sales, posed by P2P downloading and other forms of digital piracy," said Martin Brooker, director of sales, Macrovision. "By enabling labels and artists to safeguard the supply and distribution of their music content, Macrovision provides effective and commercially viable solutions to increase the demand for legitimate sources of music content and offset the revenue loss associated with unauthorized consumer CD ripping and unauthorized P2P file sharing, downloading and CD-R burning." Uncontrolled CD ripping is known to exponentially increase the supply of unauthorized files on the P2P networks, contributing to a substantial loss in revenue to the music industry. Macrovision features highly effective CD rip protection while giving consumers one click capability for music portability (DRM copies) and backup flexibility (Controlled Burn CD copies). Additionally, this technology is certified by Microsoft as a "Designed for Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP" solution and is compatible with Microsoft Windows Media(R) DRM solutions. This transparent and unique solution provides flexible consumer usage rights, while protecting the distribution rights of music content owners. Macrovision will also preview its Hawkeye(TM) P2P anti-piracy service that dramatically reduces the number of unauthorized music downloads on the P2P networks, responsible for the bulk of today's revenue losses. Macrovision's Hawkeye anti-piracy service protects music content by employing a host of proprietary techniques to achieve the highest effectiveness ratings. By reducing unauthorized downloads, the demand for legitimate online and offline music sales increases substantially. |
It is not clear how its Hawkeye technology will prevent audio piracy over P2P, but going by Macrovision's previous techniques it likely searches the network for unauthorised copies and shares out duds in the name and size of the unauthorised copies to camouflage the real versions.
While Macrovision's dud file sharing technique may work for a while, all it takes is to build up a blacklist of IP ranges of known sources sharing out the duds and over time, they will find themselves busy trying to keep setting up their traps with new IP addresses.
DeadMan wrote: Nothing much new here. But I am curious to know more about "Hawkeye" and how it supposedly "dramatically reduces the number of unauthorized music downloads on the P2P networks"
Source: Business Wire - Macrovision
