Altnet, known for its legal and secured entertainment file service carried by kazaa P2P software, has launched the Global File Registry. The Registry is set up as a web service where content providers can list their music, video, or other files. P2P and other developers integrate Altnet software into their application. The web service checks file hash codes against the Registry database to identify registered files that are presumably copyrighted.

How does it work? The web says:

Global File Registry's client-side DLL easily integrates with any P2P application, helping make your application DMCA-compliant.

Our DLL provides both file and user take-down functionality, as required by the DMCA.

The Global Files Registry DLL bundled with your P2P application communicates with the Global File Registry database, receiving a list of files which content owners have requested not be downloaded or shared out by your application.

For each search query, the Global Files Registry DLL checks relevant results against its "do not share" list and informs your application which of those files content owners have asserted ownership of. Your application can then highlight those files in search results, and not allow them to be downloaded or shared out by your application.