LOS GATOS, California — August 12, 2003 — Today Audible Magic, a provider of technology and services that enable secure and reliable identification of audio and video, announced that it has reached an agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest music company, to support RepliCheck, Audible Magic’s anti-piracy information system. Under this non-exclusive agreement, UMG will become the first major music company to directly deliver its music electronically for inclusion in the RepliCheck database. This will ensure that UMG artists’ music is registered in RepliCheck’s anti-piracy database at the time of release. The RepliCheck database is one of the largest in the world, currently numbering 3.7 million songs, with more than 5 – 10,000 new songs added each week.
RepliCheck provides a comprehensive and automated method to identify copyrighted content before it is reproduced. The service quickly scans incoming manufacturing jobs for copyrighted music, employing Audible Magic’s patented digital fingerprinting technology to compare song fingerprints against its massive song database. It then accurately identifies and reports title, artist, releasing label, and copyright date for each individual song. This information can then be cross-referenced against a customer’s license documentation.
In use by leading CD/DVD replicators worldwide, RepliCheck provides the media replication industry with an information tool to help prevent unintentional copying of copyrighted music. The service has prevented thousands of unauthorized CDs from being manufactured and is recognized by the International Recording Media Association (IRMA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Vance Ikezoye, founder and CEO of Audible Magic, said, “UMG’s support of RepliCheck demonstrates their commitment to ensuring protection of their music. The level of protection is only as good as the completeness and timeliness of our database. This agreement will ensure that the protection of UMG music from unintentional piracy is as comprehensive as possible.”
David Benjamin, senior vice president of anti-piracy for UMG said, “With the growing concern about the physical piracy of copyrighted material, we believe the RepliCheck system offers an accurate and reliable solution to verify the use of copyrighted content.”
Audible Magic Corporation is the leading provider of content management and anti-piracy services. Its patented content identification technologies and extensive reference database of audio and video content enable the company to monitor, track, manage, filter and monetize multi-media digital content. The company’s core copyright-sensing technology, CopySense®, accurately identifies digital or broadcast media content based on the perceptual characteristics of the content itself. Built on a patented electronic fingerprinting process, the technology is robust, efficient, and massively scalable. Recognized throughout the music and video industry as the de factor leader in identification services, Audible Magic is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. Its customers include Web 2.0 websites, CD/DVD replicators, peer-to-peer networking companies, internet service providers and universities, which span the media and entertainment industries, major business, governmental and educational institutions markets.
For more information, visit Audible Magic’s website at www.audiblemagic.com or contact:
Audible Magic Media & Analyst Inquiries
Jay Friedman
Vice President of Marketing and Product Management
408-399-6405 x238
[email protected]