SoundJudgment™
Detect & delete MP3 files

With SoundJudgment, you can remove MP3 files from network servers and individual workstations. Its automated solution set makes it easy to maintain the appropriate use of your computing resources.

SoundJudgment offers a comprehensive solution that:

- Ensures the implementation of a no-MP3 policy
- Speeds and simplifies the search and removal process
- Prevents servers and workstations from becoming MP3 repositories
- Alleviates ethical and liability concerns about possession and distribution of illegal files
- Preserves Internet bandwidth for corporate or educational purposes

Background: Online music swapping is here to stay

The popularity of peer-to-peer MP3 file exchange services is on the upswing. With more than 20 million users, Napster is the most popular, with other services appearing almost daily. Among them are: Gnutella, iMash and Scour Exchange.
All services use similar technology to create a music lending library. When users register with a service, they are giving permission to other users to download MP3 files from their PCs. The Napster server holds only the list of files and works as a matchmaking search engine for music requests among its online community.
Music piracy, with copyright violation at its helm, fuels the ongoing battle between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Napster. Even if the RIAA succeeds at shutting down the most popular service, other services remain. For example, iMash has more than one million users and resides in Israel. Other services, like Gnutella, do not use a central server, therefore, it is nearly impossible to shut them down. Some people believe that if Napster loses in court, its central server simply will be moved outside the US.
Here’s the bottom line: Technology continues to outpace the law, and people have embraced a digital world without limits…and without guilt.

Current reality

The most attractive MP3 repositories for avid Napster users are those with always-on, high-speed Internet connectivity. The percentage of US homes that have DSL or cable access is still relatively low and is even lower in other parts of the world. Yet the percentage of Napster lovers using fast and constant wide connections is much higher.
The reason for this phenomenon is simple. A large number of MP3 Napster repositories reside on corporate or educational servers – sites that naturally have broadband Internet access. Employees and students typically have created these music-swapping areas without management’s knowledge or approval. This phenomenon causes the several problems:

- MP3 files are relatively large and will consume an organization’s digital assets accordingly
- Downloading files eats Internet bandwidth, especially when inbound swapping traffic escalates proportionately to the site’s global appeal
- As distribution expands from one-on-one sharing to worldwide music publishing, both legal and ethical challenges increase.

Current solution

Today’s most common solution is blocking the Napster connection at the firewall level. Unfortunately, there is a hack posted on the Internet that overrides this block. Additionally, new services are being introduced regularly, making it virtually impossible to maintain the firewall solution for MP3 file exchanging.

Our Solution

SoundJudgment approaches the problem from a different angle. It simply prevents MP3 files from residing on network servers and individual workstations by periodically searching for these files.

SoundJudgment features SmartSearch™ technology

Unlike traditional search tools, SmartSearch works independently of the file name or extension and detects any MP3 file by its content. Renaming files will not prevent their detection. The search spans the entire network, including servers and workstations. SoundJudgment will then report the results via e-mail or a log file and optionally delete the detected items. The search can also be done inside compressed files.

Operational Highlights

SoundJudgment runs as a full GUI application or in stealth mode. When running in stealth (batch) mode, SoundJudgment does not appear on the screen, in the system tray or in the “close program” dialog box -- making it completely transparent to the end user.
The program is also designed to reside on a file server and execute from the login script, eliminating the need to install the program on every workstation.

System Requirements

SoundJudgment operates with Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows 95/98/ME. All major PC networks are supported, including Novell and Windows NT. Internet Explorer is required for viewing the Help File.

How to Order

Please read the Order.htm file. It contains all the information about licensing, pricing and ordering SoundJudgment.
We appreciate your interest in our software!

Apreo Inc.
1278 Glenneyre, #28
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Tel: 949-376-6678 Fax: 949-376-6978
Web: www.apreo.com
E-mail: info@apreo.com
Copyright © 2000 Apreo Limited.