And there we have an other piece of software that should make swapping copyrighted songs more difficult. This time there is Songbird, software that is able to track a song on the Napster network.
The technology, billed as the first offered to everyone as an Internet search tool, enables artists and musicians to track down who has done what with their compositions. |
The software, invented by Utah-based Travis Hill, won the backing of the record industry's IFPI watchdog and 10 organizations representing artists, songwriters and publishers.
Songbird was introduced at IFPI's London headquarters. "Songbird gives music copyright holders a completely new insight into how Napster is using their music and, if they want to, take steps to get it removed," said IFPI Chairman Jay Berman.
"Songbird complements the efforts by U.S. right owners to enforce their rights and it fits with IFPI's global anti-piracy strategy," he added in a statement. The new search tool, developed by Media Enforcer LLC to give smaller players and independents a chance to track their work on Napster, was being publicly offered on the www.iapu.org Internet site from Wednesday, the IFPI said.
Travis Hill, who turned his attention to on-line music technologies after 10 years training as a classical pianist, said: "We wrote this software to protect our own work and to help others to do the same." Songbird follows the release by Napster of its own software that can read "digital fingerprints."
Source: ZDnet.com
