According to CNET, Viralg’s method of operation involves mimicking the digital signature of a song and then injecting junk data into the downstream, thus turning what would be a playable tune into a file filled with garbage.

Viralg already claims BMG Finland as one client and will probably scoop up more as the labels look for ways other than the courts to stop song-swapping. So far, the company claims that since BMG Finland started using its product, the record label’s market position has increased from 15 percent to 25 percent.

The secret to Viralg’s technology lies in a patented algorithm, a top-secret chunk of computer code that totally screws up any illicit song-swapping transaction. However, that’s only part of the secret to Viralg’s success, for the company’s Web site also claims that the location of its corporate headquarters plays an important part in the company’s game plan to wipe out P2P music piracy.

“Viralg’s headquareters are located in Helsinki, Finland,” states the Web site. “Living close to the North Pole where winters are dark and long means there is not much to do, except to snowboard and learn how to analyse different dialects of computer code.”

Copyright protection will get a whole lotta oomph once President Bush signs a new bill into law.

Called the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, it makes using a video camera to record movies in theaters a federal crime, and makes distributing a movie or song prior to its commercial release punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Good news for Hollywood? Probably so, but as everyone knows, politics is a give and take game, and in order to get that bump in copyright penalties, the entertainment world had to give a little as well. For example, this new bill protects those who would edit Tinsel Town’s wares in the name of family decency.

It’s all about companies that market technology enabling viewers to skip over any nudity, violence and obscene language in a DVD. Ever since a video rental store in Salt Lake City first offered the service a few years ago, Hollywood has been crying foul, claiming that such a practice violates the film director’s vision, not to mention the studio’s copyright.

But under the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, such services are defined as legal, and companies trading in these services will be immune from being prosecuted for copyright violations, with the author of the bill, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) comparing it to a parent skipping over possibly objectionable material in a book. However, the same bill offers no protection for those who might sell copies of movies with the gore, sex and cuss words edited out of the film.

However, Congress’ passing of the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act wasn’t a slam dunk. Some lawmakers objected to the provision protecting companies from filtering DVDs, but voted for the bill in order to put more teeth into copyright laws. Plus, some critics accused Congress of including the filtering provision in order to protect one single company, ClearPlay, Inc., which sells a filtering device that can be added to DVD players for $4.95 per month.

The Directors Guild of America sued ClearPlay in federal court saying that the company’s filtering technology was violating copyrights. However, ClearPlay expects the lawsuit to be dismissed once Bush signs the bill.

For a trip down memory lane, concert industry veterans as well as music fans may want to visit TheSmokingGun.com and check out the latest concert rider posted on the Web site.

It’s a rider prepared by General Artists Corporation for a 1965 Beatles concert in Portland, Ore., where the Fab Four contracted to play two performances for $50,000 per show against 65 percent of the gross box office receipts.

What’s interesting is the list of items the promoter was expected to provide, including a “hi-fidelity sound system,” as well as a “Monitor Speaker to be placed on stage.”

Other requirements called for “not less than two (2) super trouper follow spotlights,” and “a platform for Ringo Starr and his drums.”

Also on the list were the band’s transportation needs, including “One (1) one-ton enclosed truck,” “One (1) 30-passenger bus with driver,” and “Two (2) seven-passenger Cadillac limousines (air-conditioned if possible), with chauffeurs.”

Plus, a star act also includes certain “luxuries” on their concert rider, and the Beatles were no exception. For this particular show the promoter was tasked with providing a “portable dressing room, preferably a house trailer,” which included “four cots, mirrors, an ice cooler, portable TV set and clean towels.”

However, one requirement listed on the rider was a reminder of a much darker time in U.S. history. Item No. 5 on the document clearly states, “Artists will not be required to perform before a segregated audience.”

Makes you wonder where the lads once played that inspired them to put that on their rider, doesn’t it?