trol are not strictly specified because they can be non-normative. The MPEG-4 groups "specified the minimum for maximum usability." This strategy facilitates creativity and competition, and ensures that authors can make optimal use of the continuous improvements in the relevant technical areas. Competitors will continue to establish differentiation through the development of non-normative tools. MPEG-7 Formally called "Multimedia Content Description Interface," MPEG-7 will be a standardized description of various types of multimedia information (it is worth noting that the group apparently arbitrarily chose the number seven; at the time of this writing, MPEG-5 MPEG-6 have not been defined). It will complement MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4. This description will be associated with the content itself to enable fast and efficient searching for material that is of interest to the user. The MPEG-7 Group is comprised of broadcasters, equipment manufacturers, digital content creators and managers, transmission providers, publishers and intellectual property rights managers, and university researchers who are interested in defining the standard. Participants include Columbia University, GMD-IPSI, Instituto Superior Técnico, Kent Ridge Digital Labs, KPN Research, Philips Research, Riverland, and Sharp Labs. The purpose of MPEG-7 is to establish a methodology for searching for video and audio context on the Internet as one can search for text now. The group recognized the immense amount of audio and video content that may be accessible on the Internet, the interest in locating that content, and the current lack of any way to locate that content. The problem is that no methodology exists for categorizing such information. One can search on the basis of the color, texture, and shape of an object in a picture. However, one cannot effectively search for the moment in which the wicked witch melts in The Wizard of Oz. Because the same limitations apply to audio, the group alluded to enabling a search based on humming a portion of a