New York, NY. Among the various stories of interest to the audio community emerging from the Interactive Multimedia Association’s IMA Expo’96, which wraps up today in New York, perhaps the most unexpected is news of a decision regarding the copyright status of MIDI data files.

The MIDI Manufacturers Association, (MMA) announced that the U.S. Copyright Office has decided that MIDI files are subject to mechanical compulsory licenses when not accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work.

This is a controversial decision. According to the MMA, it clears the air around MIDI-file licensing, and allows MIDI to move into the mainstream consumer audio market. MMA expects the decision to prompt publishers to reduce the fees they charge for licensing MIDI recordings of musical works. At the same time, it will lead to increased numbers of published MIDI files, and greater overall revenues to publishers.

“MIDI technology can dramatically improve music education, games and Internet applications,” said Tom White, President of the MMA. “But until now, licensing for audio-only MIDI files has been difficult and expensive.”

In essence, the Copyright Office has said that MIDI files are audio recordings, for copyright purposes.

Speaking for the Copyright Office, principal legal advisor Charlotte Douglass said: “[we] consider the media upon which aural sequences are recorded (unaccompanied by visual images) to be phonorecords and that such media are subject to a mechanical license or compulsory license under Section 115. The output of Standard MIDI files are works of authorship copyrightable as sound recordings since the information in the file causes the sound device to render the pitch, timbre, speed, duration and volume of the musical notes in a certain order, as does a compact disc player in conjunction with a compact disc.”

“This opinion clarifies for everyone that MIDI files are no different from other forms of audio,” said Brian Ward, special counsel to the MMA. “This has been the critical missing link for explosive growth in consumer interactive audio applications.”

Mountain View, CA. Desper Products, Inc., the audio products division of Spatializer Audio Laboratories, Inc. today announced Digital Virtual Surround-5.1™ (DVS-5.1). This is a technology that enables Dolby Digital Surround (AC-3) playback from two conventional speakers or headphones, instead of the 5+ speakers normally required.

DVS-5.1 is the second such technology introduced this month. Two weeks ago, Aureal Semiconductor Inc. announced Aureal 3D™ (A3D), which will use proprietary Aureal chips to get the job done. Desper’s technology is currently running on the Motorola 56009 AC-3 decoder, and is available for licensing on numerous DSP platforms.

“With the advent of high-density data media such as DVD, DSS and HDTV, consumers will find more software titles, music and videos are encoded in the AC-3 format,” said Steven D. Gershick, President and CEO of Spatializer. “However, not everyone can justify having six speakers to enjoy true multi-channel playback. With DVS-5.1, we offer an easily implemented, cost-effective, high-fidelity two-speaker solution for AC-3 multi-channel audio playback.”

The name DVS-5.1 refers to the speaker configuration of Dolby AC-3: 5 main speaker channels at left, center and right front, left and right surround; plus a low frequency channel (the “.1”) directed to a subwoofer if available. In DVS-5.1, the surround, center-front and low frequency channels are eliminated and their corresponding signals are processed by DVS- 5.1 to simulate the effect of loudspeakers placed at those locations.

Murray Hill, NJ. Lucent Technologies, the recently formed spin-off from AT&T and Bell Labs, today established a new venture group to market high-quality voice, music and video software for applications on the Internet.

The new division will be called elemedia (elements for multimedia), and it will deliver products under the Media Plus™ label. The line will include software to enable FM stereo/CD-quality audio software for services such as music-on-demand and real-time audio broadcasting. Other offerings will include voice software for “telephone quality” conversations over the net, and speakerphone software, to give PCs and Internet phone devices full-duplex capabilities.

“We’re capitalizing on a more than a decade of Bell Laboratories software research and development in packet technologies to bring Internet telephony to the level of quality people are accustomed to,” said Joe Mele, President of elemedia. “This software will help move voice, music and video over the Internet beyond the current base of technologists and hobbyists and into the mainstream.”

With this mission, elemedia is positioning itself to go head to head with the current industry leaders in realtime audio delivery over the Internet: Progressive Networks (RealAudio™), Xing (Streamworks™), and VocalTec (Internet Phone™).

Among the first to adopt elemedia’s Media Plus software will be Soundprint Media Center, a provider of Internet services for the public radio broadcasting industry.