Update: I posted a link to some source code that implements the Shazam algorithm: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5724442 https://news.ycombinator.com/ite

Update: I posted a link to some source code that implements the Shazam algorithm: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5724442 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5724442 About the patent lawsuit thing: As I understand it, Shazam sold their patent to Landmark Digital Services, which are a part of BMI the record label. They kept an exclusive license to make Shazam-like software for phones. You can imagine BMI wanting it to make money from how a service such as Youtube fingerprints and detects copyright infringement... And it was this BMI company that were trying to get this blog post explaining the patented algorithm removed from the internet. One post from the BMI lawyers to Roy in the Netherlands was particularly broad bullying: > Mr. Van Rijn, > The two example patent numbers that I sent you are U.S. patents, but each of these patents has also been filed as patent applications in the Netherlands. Also, as I'm sure you are aware, your blogpost may be viewed internationally. As a result, you may contribute to someone infringing our patents in any part of the world. > While we trust your good intentions, yes, we would like you to refrain from releasing the code at all and to remove the blogpost explaining the algorithm. > Thank you for your understanding. > Best regards, > Darren > P. Briggs > Vice President & > Chief Technical Officer > Landmark Digital Services, LLC Roy gave a great talk at Devox about this: http://www.redcode.nl/blog/2012/03/devoxx-2011-talk-freely-available/ http://www.redcode.nl/blog/2012/03/devoxx-2011-talk-freely-a... I think I heard that Shazam recently got the patent back. I speculate BMI found no-one to license their fingerprinting tech for copyright infringement.