A company called 'SunnComm Technologies' has licensed a new super-watermark that can be embedded inside music files. This new technique can also contain hidden data, video or software and can survive if the song is digitally compressed, rerecorded through an analog connection, or even if the song is recorded off the radio:
SunnComm realized that the watermark-like technology, originally licensed with the intent of helping to bolster copy protection, can also carry other data such as liner notes or pictures, executives said. The company is focusing on the copy-protection uses but also will work with record labels that may be interested in embedding other information. |
The new technology, developed originally at the University of Miami, could help SunnComm gain traction in a business that has for years been hampered by concerns about its market viability. Record labels consistently say that they want a way to protect CDs against unauthorized copying, but have so far maintained that the technology available from SunnComm, Macromedia, Sony and a handful of other vendors is not quite ready for prime time.
SunnComm initially intends to market the watermark-like technology to record labels that want to prevent copies of review discs being ripped or copied and put online before albums' release dates, a common occurrence today. Labels could encode individualized information about each recipient of advance discs into the music itself, allowing them to track down whoever released songs in advance, Whitmore said.
According to the article the technology works by encoding binary data inside the stereo audio signal itself. Because the signal is embedded in the sound itself, the data is hard to remove without substantially changing the sound of the song.
Source: C|Net News.com
