CD copy protection grip tightens

Israeli company Midbar, infamous for its Cactus Data Shield, said yesterday that it had released over 10 million copy protected CDs into the US and European markets.

In an ongoing bid to combat piracy and the unauthorised copying of CDs, the big music firms have employed technologies such as those developed by Midbar. Cactus prevents CDs being copied but has suffered playability issues in PCs and some CD players.

However, Midbar claims that its latest version of the software addresses these issues.

Marketing vice president Noam Zur said that the year had been packed with "useful learning experiences", and that the company would continue to develop the technology.

But previous attempts to leak the technology into the market have caused uproar. At the end of last year, protected releases by Natalie Imbruglia, Michael Jackson and VNV Nation, among others, were met with concern. Some artists were even forced to apologise to fans and exchange CDs for unprotected versions.

Philips, which operates the Compact Disc trademark, announced its opposition to the copy protection scheme last month, even threatening to prevent CDs bearing such technology from using the Compact Disc logo, arguing that they are not technically CDs.

The UK Campaign for Digital Rights, a consumer body standing in opposition to copy protection, is holding a meeting on 23 February to address future plans for its campaign. The group's website is here.