DtecNet Software
MarkMonitor | Brand Protection, Domain Management, Anti Piracy, Anti Fraud.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
DtecNet Software operated as a specialized provider of solutions designed to address digital content piracy. The company was established in 2004 by Thomas Sehested. Sehested's prior experience, which included a role in business development at the major European Internet Service Provider Tiscali and a management position within the Danish Anti-Piracy Group's internet division, provided him with a foundational understanding of the challenges posed by online piracy.
The firm's business was centered on tracking and preventing the unauthorized distribution of digital assets for its clients. Its customer base primarily consisted of rights holders in the entertainment industry, such as movie studios and music industry organizations like the Music Publishers Association (MPA) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). DtecNet's core service involved scouring peer-to-peer (P2P) networks to identify the sharing of copyrighted files. The system would collect the IP addresses of users sharing these files and trace them back to the relevant Internet Service Provider (ISP). This compiled evidence was then provided to the rights holders, who could use it to pursue legal action. Beyond piracy tracking, the company offered an ISP filtering solution to alleviate network congestion caused by illegal file sharing and also provided network security testing services.
The company's operations were international, with a development team in Denmark and an operations center in Vilnius, Lithuania. In October 2010, DtecNet was acquired by MarkMonitor, a San Francisco-based company specializing in online brand protection, for an undisclosed amount. At the time of the acquisition, DtecNet was noted to be experiencing significant growth. Following the merger, founder Thomas Sehested joined MarkMonitor as a senior vice president, responsible for the anti-piracy solutions business. This acquisition was part of MarkMonitor's strategy to broaden its data access and enhance its capabilities in combating online fraud and piracy across various digital platforms, including websites, P2P networks, and social media.
Keywords: anti-piracy software, digital rights management, intellectual property protection, copyright infringement tracking, P2P network monitoring, online brand protection, content protection, ISP filtering, digital asset protection, file sharing analysis, MarkMonitor, Thomas Sehested, copyright enforcement, network security, digital media piracy, entertainment industry security, music piracy, movie piracy, software piracy, online fraud prevention