SunnComm Technologies announced that it began testing Secure-Burn - a MediaMax feature which permits their record company customers to cut down the number of "casual" copies made from an original CD.

Casual copying is the term used to describe CD copies that are made of an original CD - then copies are made from those copies, and so on. Together with file-sharing, casual copying is one of the most prolific forms of CD piracy.

SunnComm CEO, Peter H. Jacobs, says "Casual copying can rival file-sharing piracy in some instances, especially when looking at "hot" new releases. When one CD buyer makes 3 copies of a new CD for friends who each make another 3 copies from their copy for additional friends who then make 3 copies for their friends, you can end up with thousands of pirated copies floating around before you know it. It's like a chain letter of music piracy and theft. SunnComm MediaMax is the first anti-piracy solution to target "casual theft" of copyrighted music originating from audio CDs. We expect to be putting Secure-Burn as a component of MediaMax CD-3 to work for the record companies by the end the year, "

Today's news comes on the heels of BMG's successful release last month of the music giant's first commercial MediaMax in the United States - Comin' From Where I'm From, by singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton released on Arista Records.

MediaMax CD-3 is a collection of technologies that provides copy management for CDs and DVDs while simultaneously enhancing and expanding the consumer's experience. MediaMax CD-3 is tightly integrated with Microsoft's Windows Media Platform and the Digital Rights Management capabilities associated with the latest Windows Media Platforms. The company licenses and uses Windows Media Audio DRM capabilities from Microsoft Corporation as the security feature for music files which end up residing on the consumer's computer.