Altnet, which sells technologies enabling companies to use peer-to-peer networks as secure, legitimate marketing tools, has issued warnings to several companies that they may be infringing Altnet patents.

Altnet said it had sent letters to nine companies -- including BigChampagne, Ranger Online, MediaDefender, Overpeer and MediaSentry -- claiming the companies had infringed it's patents in the process of offering services to the music and movie industries in fighting p2p piracy.

Eric Garland, the CEO of BigChampagne, told ZDNet Australia that the claims by Altnet were "absolutely false". He said that BigChampagne was yet to receive the notices.

Altnet said it had sent the companies letters warning them to stop engaging in activities that Altnet believes constitute patent infringement. Altnet warned the companies against using its TrueNames file-identifying technology to spoof, track or interdict (prohibit) files on file sharing networks, claiming the technology was improperly used to identify people sharing files who were then sued for copyright infringement. TrueNames is a method of identifying a file based on its content rather than the file name, origin or other information which can be easily changed.

Garland said BigChampagne had never used TrueNames file-identifying technology. "BigChampagne has never made any attempt to spoof files, track users or interdict files on file sharing networks," he said.

"Most importantly, with respect to online users sued for copyright infringement: BigChampagne is a market research firm," said Garland. "BigChampagne has never been engaged to provide information about any individual peer-to-peer users, whose privacy we respect."

Altnet's move comes as the war between music and movie companies and peer-to-peer companies attempting to create a commercial business hots up. Companies marketing peer-to-peer technology have even formed an industry group to lobby the music companies to deal with them.

"We continue to focus on protecting and commercialising our patented technology and realising the potential it offers content owners by commercialising peer-to-peer networks," said Derek Broes, Altnet's executive vice president of worldwide operations in a statement. "These companies are using Altnet's patented technology without Altnet's permission to spoof, track and interdict shared files."

"Altnet acquired the TrueNames patents in order to build a commercial solution for P2P operators and content owners. The patent should not be used improperly for any reason," said Broes. "That it is being used without permission in order to research or interfere with the infringement of others' intellectual property is ironic."

Altnet has a strong relationship with Sharman Networks, and recently set up a special emerging artists channel on the Kazaa network.

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