Brand protection company MarkMonitor has acquired DtecNet Software, a global anti-piracy company. With the addition of DtecNet technology, MarkMonitor says it aims to expand its Brand Protection platform by adding targeting capabilities for ‘both the distribution points and promotional vehicles for pirated digital content”.
DtecNet brings technology and expertise in pinpointing and monitoring illegal download activity on P2P networks, blogs, video streaming sites and Usenet services, the company said.
DtecNet founder and CEO Thomas Sehested will join MarkMonitor as a senior vice president.
With the acquisition, MarkMonitor is also expanding on a geographical level: DtecNet’s European operations include a development team in Denmark and an operations center in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Irfan Salim, CEO of MarkMonitor, says piracy of digital content on the Internet, including movies, music, games, software and e-books, is a severe and growing problem.
The company estimates the worldwide economic impact of online piracy and counterfeiting at $200 billion annually.