[November 19, 2009] Cell phone sites to be checked for illegal music files Tweet TOKYO, Nov 17, 2009 (The Yomiuri Shimbun - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The telecom and music industries likely will introduce a new system by next year, to automatically check cell phone Web sites for illegal music files that have been entered on them, to prevent such files from being uploaded and downloaded in violation of copyright, it has been learned. Currently, such checking can only be done by actually connecting to questionable Web sites through a cell phone. The introduction of the new system will accelerate moves to eradicate illegal music files. The adoption of the basic policy for the new system was decided on by the Council for Countermeasures Against Mobile Music Piracy, set up in September, and comprising of four major telecom operators, including NTT Docomo Inc., and KDDI Corp., and organizations for music copyright. Illegal music files have been unlawfully uploaded and downloaded by an unspecified large number of people who can access cell phone bulletin boards. The number of illegal music files downloaded annually is estimated at 400 million, about 70 million more than are downloaded from authorized Web sites. Many bulletin boards for cell phones can only be accessed by cell phone to prevent cell phones from being infected with viruses from personal computers. To check for illegal music files, the new system will use software that can automatically check from computer servers and also to cell phone Web sites. The program will automatically scour cell phone Web sites to track down illegal music files. Music copyright organizations, including the Recording Industry Association of Japan, have staffers using cell phones to explore such sites and when they discover illegal music files, request the removal of the files. In the case of a serious offense, they will file a criminal complaint. However, these organizations have been unable to keep up with the proliferation of illegal music files. The council is also considering adopting a system to restrict the downloading of illegal files on cell phones itself, and intends to carry out a cleanout of illegal files in combination with the new system. To see more of The Yomiuri Shimbun, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.yomiuri.co.jp and www.yomiuri.co.jp/index-e.htm Copyright (c) 2009, The Yomiuri Shimbun Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]