MySpace Aims to Stop Unauthorized Copyrighted-Music Posts

MySpace, the mega-popular social networking site owned by media maven Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., on Monday said it has licensed a new technology to enable it to stop users from illegally posting copyright music onto their site profiles, as well as give the boot to members who repeatedly violate the site’s related regulations, Reuters reports via WashingtonPost.com.

MySpace made the announcement amid mounting pressure from film and record studios that want the site—and others like the video-sharing Web locale YouTube—to enact stricter policies regarding the posting of copyrighted music and video content.

The new technology was licensed to the social network site by Gracenote, a privately held digital entertainment firm, for an undisclosed amount, according to Reuters, and it will enable the site to examine all music postings uploaded to community members’ profiles.

Gracenote’s own database of copyrighted materials is used to determine if new music is protected, and its technology blocks unauthorized selections, Reuters reports. The Gracenote tech also allows MySpace to determine which users repeatedly post copyrighted materials so it can delete those members’ accounts, according to Reuters.

MySpace and YouTube users frequently post copyrighted materials to share with friends and other community members with little or no regard to the content’s legal protections. Both sites say they do their part to uphold copyright restrictions by immediately removing protected content upon request from the appropriate parties.

In related news, MySpace announced in September that it would begin selling music selections from unsigned bands without any form of digital rights management (DRM) technology. The site wants to eventually sell DRM-protected music from major labels, Reuters reports.

News Corp. acquired MySpace for approximately $580 million less than a year ago, according to Reuters.

Related Links:

• U.S. FTC Releases Social-Networking Safety Game

• MySpace to Sell DRM-Free Music Downloads

• Report: MySpace Tops Yahoo in U.S. Page Views

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