14 DAY TRIAL // The MPAA announced the availability of a new software tool called Parent File Scan, which allows parents to see if their kids use peer-to-peer software, potentially infringing copies of motion pictures and other copyrighted material.
According to the licensing agreement for the software, which is made by DtecNet Software, of Copenhagen, Denmark, the application searches a computer for well-known file-sharing programs and files in the most popular music and film formats.
The thing is that even if there are music files on a computer, no software tool can tell whether they're legal or illegal, because there is no way to tell whether the files came from ripping the consumer's own CDs (which is legal) or from infringing P2P downloading (which is illegal). So having parents deleting perfectly legitimate MP3's could start a band new war between the benevolent parents trying not to get sued by the MPAA and their kids. But what if the software finds Windows files and sounds, are those illegal too, should you fear a law suit because you store any type of music file on your computer?
At the end of the scan, if you have any P2P apps, Parent File Scan offers to remove them. Based on the documentation, it appears that the removal is done by invoking the P2P app's own removal program; the documentation warns that there might not be a removal program, and it might not remove everything that came with the P2P application