The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is developing software it says will automatically identify people trading copyrighted songs over the Internet. The collected information could then be given to the authorities for prosecution. The IFPI currently is tracking copyright violation on the Internet manually but maintains that automated tools will make the process more effective and faster.

Also, the Recording Industry Association of America has released more data that it says proves file-sharing of copyrighted music hurts music sales. The RIAA says shipments of compact discs, cassettes, vinyl, music videos and DVDs fell seven percent last year compared to 1999.

For more on the IFPI story, see zdnet.co.uk. The RIAA study story is at newsBytes.com.