Microsoft's legal eagle moves to MIPI

Microsoft's director of intellectual property Vanessa Hutley has shifted to lead the Music Industry Piracy Investigation (MIPI) organisation.

Hutley's appointment followed the sudden resignation of MIPI's former general manager Sabiene Heindl who left to join NBN Co in June.

The news appeared to have been broken by BillBoard.

Hutley would take up the position next week.

Her challenges weren't small. Over the past ten years, CD sales declined due to a combination of alleged peer-to-peer copyright infringements and the rise of online sales.

While digital music revenues grew by an estimated 6 percent globally in 2010 to $4.6 billion - accounting for 29 percent of record companies’ trade revenues in 2010 - there was little prospect they would match the revenues enjoyed by the recording industry in the past.