New weapon in war on piracy

net1

USA Video Interactive subsidiary USVO is partnering Hollywood-based Lightning Media, to create a new type of digital watermarking for studios and television programmers to help the fight against movie and TV piracy.

The new generation of digital watermarks contains information that can identify copyrighted digital content when it is subjected to forensic analysis. The watermarks are invisible to people viewing the protected content on the screen, but any attempt to remove them would make the source video unwatchable.

The new digital watermarks will be available from mid-October and will be marketed under the MediaSentinel brand. The new technology will have a soft launch and be marketed directly to existing clients. The two companies also intend to develop educational material in order to attract new business.

MediaSentinel watermarks can identify film content even after it has been substantially modified and multiple watermarks can be installed on the same content.

"Video piracy is a serious problem for the movie industry with billions of dollars in losses every year," said Edwin Molina, chief executive and president of USVO.