Fiorina, Dre and The Edge on stage slamming piracy

Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina declared open season on digital piracy yesterday in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show while also announcing new entertainment products that HP hopes will help make its digital entertainment strategy a reality.

In a keynote speech, Fiorina made clear the company's stance on digital piracy. "It's illegal and wrong and there are things we as a computing company can do" to prevent it, Fiorina said.

The HP chief added that starting this year all HP digital entertainment products will use software that respects the copyrights of artists. The company will actively promote copyright protection and step up efforts with anti-piracy and consumer groups, she said.

"Every entertainment process is becoming digital, mobile and virtual," Fiorina said. HP's stance against digital piracy is important to artists who view digital media as a potential threat to their copyrights because of the east with which content can be copied and distributed.

In a show of support for HP's stance, Fiorina was joined on stage by Interscope Geffen A&M Records chairman Jim Iovine as well as artists Dr Dre, U2 guitar player The Edge, Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, Toby Keith and other music executives.

HP also provided a glimpse of new products that would allow for easier use of digital media. At the centre of the company's digital entertainment strategy is the HP Digital Entertainment System, which is made of a series of component including a hub, digital displays, projectors, music players, handhelds and involves partnerships with content companies.

Earlier in the day, HP announced an agreement with Apple Computer to sell HP-branded versions of Apple's iPod, a hard drive based digital audio player. HP will call its player the Digital Music Player. As part of the deal, HP will preinstall Apple's iTunes music service software onto its consumer PCs.

Both announcements are part of a larger effort by the computer giant to make inroads into the consumer electronics market, which is expected to generate a record $101bn in revenue this year, a 5 per cent increase over 2003, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Other computer makers, such as Dell and Gateway, have also been looking to the consumer electronics market for future growth.

Richard Shim writes for CNET News.com.