SunnComm Technologies, Inc.
announced today it
has entered into a strategic worldwide licensing agreement and revenue deal with
BMG, the worldwide music division of Bertelsmann AG, to provide copy management
technology to reduce piracy and the unauthorized duplication of music. The
agreement between the two companies will enable the use of SunnComm's newest
proprietary compact disc enhancement and copy-management system known as
MediaMax(TM) CD-3 Technology.
BMG has already successfully deployed SunnComm's MediaMax(TM) CD-3 Technology
on a number of promotional/advance releases in the U.S. SunnComm's solution is a
new approach to reducing casual piracy. MediaMax gives consumers a legal path to
transfer music from their CDs to their computers while not allowing the
unauthorized re-distribution of content via CDRs or P2P services. SunnComm's
MediaMax can introduce music buyers to special enhancements on the discs,
including artist information, song lyrics, bonus tracks, music video clips,
special offers, prizes and other valuable content. All of these value-adds are
accessible via a computer from a data session mastered on the disc.
The MediaMax suite of products will be immediately available for BMG
production in the U.S. market through the Sonopress manufacturing plant located
in Weaverville, NC. Sonopress is a division of Bertelsmann AG. The technology
will also be made available to Sonopress manufacturing plants servicing other
markets around the world.
Peter Jacobs, SunnComm's president and chief executive officer said,
"Extending our existing relationship with BMG is a very important milestone for
SunnComm. This is our first step in delivering a product suite that enables the
music industry to protect their intellectual property while giving the consumers
the flexibility they have come to expect."
MediaMax CD-3 is a collection of technologies that provides copy management
for CDs and DVDs while simultaneously enhancing and expanding the consumer's
experience. MediaMax CD-3 is tightly integrated with Microsoft's Windows Media
Platform and the Digital Rights Management capabilities associated with the
latest Windows Media Platforms. The company licenses and uses Windows Media
Audio DRM capabilities from Microsoft as the security feature for these files.
When a consumer puts a SunnComm MediaMax CD in a computer's CD-ROM drive, the
computer can read and play the protected digital audio files through SunnComm's
proprietary, multimedia user interface. These digital audio files can be legally
copied from the CD and enjoyed on the user's personal computer or shared with
friends for a limited period of time using SunnComm's PromoPlay(TM) technology.
However, those same music tracks cannot be sent through standard email or made
available to file-sharing services such as KaZaA or Morpheus.
SunnComm's chief operating officer, William H. Whitmore, Jr. said, "Feedback
from the music industry on our MediaMax product suite has been overwhelmingly
supportive. We are excited that our multi-year collaborative effort with BMG has
enabled us to develop a product solution that the industry can embrace."
Source: Yahoo.com
