COPYCENSE

Palisade Systems, a network security company, has announced that it will launch PacketHound 3.0 this week, a software package this week that is designed to identify and block copyrighted songs as they are being traded online.   

PacketHound is created by Audible Magic, a California-based software company, pursuant to a strategic partnership the two firms created in September 2003. The software has triggered interest in Washington, D.C., and skepticism in the peer-to-peer world and among some students and universities, according to a News.com story.

The the song-filtering software is backed strongly by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the large record companies’ main lobbying organization. The announcement of PacketHound’s release comes just a day after it became widely known that the RIAA had discontinued its amnesty program (.pdf) for file sharers. The policy change came to light in court papers RIAA filed in California, according to a second News.com story.

John Borland. New Tool Designed to Block Song Swaps. News.com. April 21, 2004.

Matt Hines. RIAA Drops Amnesty Program. News.com. April 20, 2004.