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The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will collaborate with the Internet2 Consortium to study 'advanced content distribution' and related digital rights management technologies.

Internet2 CEO Douglas Van Houweling explained that the technology provides MPAA and RIAA an innovative test-bed for examining future networking and secure distribution capabilities not possible on today's commercial Internet.

'Internet2 provides the MPAA and the RIAA with unique access to the research and education community, which shares their interest in developing secure leading-edge content distribution technologies,' he said. 'Together

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with the RIAA and MPAA, the Internet2 community is leading the way in helping to shape new business models for the future of the music and movie industries as consumers and businesses alike continue to rapidly adopt Internet technologies to receive these products and services.'

His comments were echoed by Cary Sherman, president of the RIAA, and Dan Glickman, president of MPAA.

'Internet2 networking is an incredibly exciting tool for researchers, technologists and many others interested in developing new technologies, policies and business models for the next generation,' Sherman said. 'Its value now and potential in the future are extraordinary, and we are very pleased to join this diverse community.'

'The movie industry is committed to working with the technology sector to find innovative new ways to deliver entertainment to consumers,' Glickman added. 'The MPAA views this partnership with Internet2 as an important opportunity for collaboration as we seek to link new delivery models with content protection.'

Somewhat ironically, the MPAA recently began legal proceedings against US students using their colleges' Internet2 networks to share files. It said users were able to download a movie in just five minutes.