For Immediate Release
An Open Letter to the
Digital Community
Here's an invitation to
show off your skills, make some money, and help shape the future of the online
digital music economy.
The Secure Digital Music
Initiative is a multi-industry initiative working to develop a secure framework
for the digital distribution of music. SDMI protected content will be embedded
with an inaudible, robust watermark or use other technology that is designed to
prevent the unauthorized copying, sharing, and use of digital music.
We are now in the process
of testing the technologies that will allow these protections. The proposed
technologies must pass several stringent tests: they must be inaudible, robust,
and run efficiently on various platforms, including PCs. They should also be
tested by you.
So here's the invitation:
Attack the proposed technologies. Crack them.
By successfully breaking
the SDMI protected content, you will play a role in determining what technology
SDMI will adopt. And there is something more in it for you, too. If you can
remove the watermark or defeat the other technology on our proposed copyright
protection system, you may earn up to $10,000.
To participate, just go to
the website at http://www.sdmi.org/pr/www.hacksdmi.org
after September 15, 2000 and read the public challenge agreement. If you agree
to the terms, you will have until at least October 7, 2000 to do your
best.
SDMI is a body that
includes 200+ companies and organizations from start ups to global enterprises,
and from around the world. Participants include leading consumer electronics,
information technology, music, and wireless telecom companies. (More information
can be found at http://www.sdmi.org/pr/www.sdmi.org)
Here's your chance to shape
the future of digital music.
Sincerely,
Leonardo
Chiariglione
Executive Director, SDMI
September 6,
2000