A framework for secure MIDI eCommerce

Electronic commerce has gained importance over the last years, but only a few digital products can be sold and delivered over the internet. These products need security to be protected against pirates who could sell copies over the internet without any loss of quality. MIDI files are an excellent example for such a product: They are rather small and expensive, making them ideal for downloading over the net, but also for building up large illegal collections on pirate web sites or CDs. We discuss a security framework for MIDI files protecting the complete transaction between web shop and client and show how MIDI files can be protected even after downloading by embedding digital watermarks to prevent illegal reselling or distribution.