BT (British telecom) launched a new anti-piracy software business to protect music, movies and photographs. To make its stand in the competitive digital-rights management (DRM) software market, BT will cooperate with RealNetworks who already has experience in the DRM market.

The upcoming DRM software is part of a larger digital product called BT Rich Media. The media would target the consumer and small business sector with a £100 product and large media companies with a more expensive and professional product that costs several times that amount.

The DRM software can be used by musicians or film-makers to fine-tune their works so that the content cannot be copied or viewed without permission.

BT, which plans to sign up five million broadband subscribers of its own by the end of 2006, is relying heavily on brisk demand for the high-speed broadband services to offset falling revenues in its core fixed-line phone business.

Burke said the rich media offering is another broadband related product it can sell users in the hopes of upgrading them to more expensive, higher-margin services.