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Microsoft patents 'Stealthy Audio Watermarking'


Microsoft has been granted a patent for a Digital Rights Management (DRM) free watermarking technique, which could be used to discourage piracy without affecting the ability to play the music.

The patent, titled "Stealthy Audio Watermarking," was filed in May 2004 and would work by placing a digital signature into the very audio stream itself. Authorised software would then be able to analyse the music and retrieve details of who purchased the track.

This is far removed from the present DRM where an additional layer of data is added to the file, which can restrict certain devices from playing the music.

According to Microsoft, because the system is dependent on the actual structure of the music, it would make stripping the watermark extremely difficult.

While Microsoft hasn’t announced any plans to use the system, it does provide them the opportunity to launch a DRM-free music service, which is good news for consumers, whilst also allowing for content providers to take action against media pirates.

Microsoft, in the mean time, continues to endorse proprietary systems such as Zune and PlayForSure to deter hackers who attempt to remove DRM from music.

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