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Watermarks Could Replace DRM for Big Music

  • Wired, Monday, January 14, 2008 11:01 AM
The demise of Digital Rights Management is nigh, but the music industry is already experimenting with a new DRM substitute. So-called "watermarking" could offer Big Music the copy protection it craves by letting companies track where digital music files end up--particularly, file-sharing networks. The technology would impart a unique serial number that lets music companies match digital files to the original purchaser.

However, the big four record labels have thus far shunned the technology: Warner and EMI have yet to touch it at all, while Sony and Universal have attached "anonymous" watermarks to files that don't trace back to individuals.

Experts say the data would provide the music industry with the material it needs to close peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, where copyrighted content is freely traded. The industry could also the data to persuade Internet service providers to implement copyright filtering technologies. As BigChampagne CEO Eric Garland says, watermarked traffic can be watched with "forensic precision. Any empirical evidence that harm is being done to their legitimate business is a huge asset when it comes to their bargaining power with ISPs and third-party partners."

Read the whole story at Wired »

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