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Disc piracy is a profitable but increasingly risky business, with bootlegging-related shootings and armed robberies on the rise. Modern pirates have begun to imitate their sea-going ancestors, using force to acquire assets and territory.

How much does it cost to license DVD-Audio patents to create players or discs? That information was revealed last week when the DVD6C">http://www.dvd6cla.com">DVD6C Licensing Agency, which represents the founders of the DVD Forum (formerly called the DVD Consortium) in the area of patent licensing, announced that it expects to start global licensing of essential patents for DVD-Audio and recordable DVD products on or about January 1, 2003.

When do fractions of pennies add up to millions of dollars? Answer: When they are accumulated unpaid royalties for one of the most popular albums of all time.

Imitation, as the old saw would have it, is the sincerest form of flattery. It might also offer a way for DVD-Audio to establish credibility and build a customer base.

We kick off our anniversary collection with 40">http://www.stereophile.com//features/708/">40 Years of Stereophile: What Happened When. Editor John Atkinson recounts the complete history of Stereophile, starting in 1930 when J. Gordon Holt heard his first sound in North Carolina.

At present, the recording industry is based on a variety of analog and PCM digital audio formats, putting proponents of Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD, which is based on the Direct Stream Digital, or DSD, format) in a tough place when it comes to creating pure DSD works for showing off the format. To date, labels have had a limited number of options for creating, mixing, and mastering pure DSD projects.

US lawmakers have honored their promise to address a languishing small-webcaster royalty bill that was put">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11468/">put on hold prior to the fall elections.