The world's largest software and music companies, together with a broad alliance of companies, on Wednesday said they would work together in a bid to transform Internet file sharing from a haven for piracy into a potential profit center.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Universal Music, a unit of Vivendi Universal (V.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are members of the Content Reference Forum, formed in March to develop a universal way to distribute digital content.
The group on Wednesday issued an initial set of technology specifications in a bid to create a system in which users would share customized Internet links, called "content references," instead of swapping song or film files directly.
Michael Miron, president of the Content Reference Forum, said the links could work on existing file-sharing networks, which are now frequently used for illegal copying.
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