Universal Records, whose roster includes Detroit emcee Eminem, has announced plans to copy- proof their CDs by making it impossible to rip the files down into MP3 format.
The world’s largest record company would not give details of the technology, but says that the new CDs would still be playable on computer CD ROM drives, but would not be vulnerable to piracy because it would not be possible to download the songs off the CD. The company said it ,would start using the new technology on some releases as early as October, and that it could be in full use by January.
A number of other record companies are also looking into the technology, which would put a serious wrench in the work of CD pirates. It could even be a bigger blow than the death of Napster.
