spy1
March 16th, 2002, 11:37 AM
LONDON -- Morpheus MusicCity, a service that allows users to trade copyrighted songs and films, has quietly added an anti-piracy feature to its site, its first move to protect some artists from unlawful downloads of their music.
Beginning in April, Streamcast Networks, the U.S. company that operates the popular site, will add technology to erase a downloaded song from a computer after the user listens to it a certain number of times.
But it will apply the anti-piracy measure only to benefit artists who do business with Morpheus, as it seeks to become a major venue to promote lesser-known, unsigned acts. Users would sample songs but ultimately would have to buy them.
"For the first time, artists, publishers, labels and music rights associations can take advantage of technology instead of technology taking advantage of them," reads a statement on the Morpheus website.
The widespread piracy of copyright-protected materials on the Internet has become a huge concern for media and software companies. The firms are intent on shutting down the activity at its source, trying to force sites such as Morpheus to stop its users from unauthorized trading.
Last summer, the music labels managed to shut down the original song-swapping favorite Napster, only to find a host of new players, including Morpheus, Kazaa and Grokster, emerge as even more powerful replacements.
The major labels, including Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, EMI and Bertelsmann's BMG, are keen to slow piracy to protect their own nascent music download businesses.
Technologically superior to Napster, the new generation of file-trading sites, claiming millions of users, traffic in all variety of copyright-protected materials, from video games to movies and music.
Music labels and Hollywood studios have cracked down on these sites too, filing a lawsuit to stop the rampant illegal trading that they claim is costing them tens, perhaps hundreds, of millions of dollars in lost business.
Morpheus said it will invite artists to provide music samples to the service.
"As we roll out this new way of distributing content over the Internet, you will discover how easy it is to get your music out to millions of people without selling your soul to the bank," the site says in trying to entice artist participation.
But it hasn't silenced the critics who maintain the company is still flouting copyright law by facilitating trade in protected pieces.
Elsewhere on the service, users will still be able to swap a variety of copyright-protected materials that are already circulating on the network, from Kylie Minogue singles to digital copies of Harry Potter books.
"I am not at all impressed. I'm not convinced they are heading down the road of legitimacy," said Bruce Ward, technical director for London-based NetPD, a firm that monitors file-swapping activities on behalf of artists and record labels.
The latest move by Morpheus, he pointed out, is reminiscent of a step Napster took on the eve of going to court last year.
At the time, Napster struck a deal to have the work of independent artists featured on its service, while still allowing users to swap the more popular signed acts with impunity. The site shut down before the new service had a chance to take off.
Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited.
http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,51082,00.html
Beginning in April, Streamcast Networks, the U.S. company that operates the popular site, will add technology to erase a downloaded song from a computer after the user listens to it a certain number of times.
But it will apply the anti-piracy measure only to benefit artists who do business with Morpheus, as it seeks to become a major venue to promote lesser-known, unsigned acts. Users would sample songs but ultimately would have to buy them.
"For the first time, artists, publishers, labels and music rights associations can take advantage of technology instead of technology taking advantage of them," reads a statement on the Morpheus website.
The widespread piracy of copyright-protected materials on the Internet has become a huge concern for media and software companies. The firms are intent on shutting down the activity at its source, trying to force sites such as Morpheus to stop its users from unauthorized trading.
Last summer, the music labels managed to shut down the original song-swapping favorite Napster, only to find a host of new players, including Morpheus, Kazaa and Grokster, emerge as even more powerful replacements.
The major labels, including Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, EMI and Bertelsmann's BMG, are keen to slow piracy to protect their own nascent music download businesses.
Technologically superior to Napster, the new generation of file-trading sites, claiming millions of users, traffic in all variety of copyright-protected materials, from video games to movies and music.
Music labels and Hollywood studios have cracked down on these sites too, filing a lawsuit to stop the rampant illegal trading that they claim is costing them tens, perhaps hundreds, of millions of dollars in lost business.
Morpheus said it will invite artists to provide music samples to the service.
"As we roll out this new way of distributing content over the Internet, you will discover how easy it is to get your music out to millions of people without selling your soul to the bank," the site says in trying to entice artist participation.
But it hasn't silenced the critics who maintain the company is still flouting copyright law by facilitating trade in protected pieces.
Elsewhere on the service, users will still be able to swap a variety of copyright-protected materials that are already circulating on the network, from Kylie Minogue singles to digital copies of Harry Potter books.
"I am not at all impressed. I'm not convinced they are heading down the road of legitimacy," said Bruce Ward, technical director for London-based NetPD, a firm that monitors file-swapping activities on behalf of artists and record labels.
The latest move by Morpheus, he pointed out, is reminiscent of a step Napster took on the eve of going to court last year.
At the time, Napster struck a deal to have the work of independent artists featured on its service, while still allowing users to swap the more popular signed acts with impunity. The site shut down before the new service had a chance to take off.
Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited.
http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,51082,00.html