"It was just the other day I was telling you guys that watermarking was going to be the next tool in the RIAA's arsenal to fight piracy. Now, Fraunhofer, the creators of the of MP3 format, are proud to announce that they have designed an alternative DRM scheme that will add a "hash value" mark to MP3 tracks purchased from online music services. The hash value is designed to create a direct link between the content provider and registered purchaser. What's interesting is that the system doesn't help authorities go after the people who are sharing or have downloaded illegal copies of the watermarked MP3 tracks, it's really designed to nail the person who purchased the music legally but unwisely decided to put it on a peer-to-peer network."This reminds me of the time in school when teachers said that they would not only punish the one that copies but also, and almost more harshly, the one who allowed others to cheat off of him. I really like the fact that the target is the one who shares the music in the first place because it is really their responsibility to show prudence with the content that they possess.