The german Fraunhofer institute the original creators of the MP3 format are supposed to release a new version of the format this summer with surround sound and a LWDRM (Light Weight Digital Rights Management).

The MP3 Surround ability of the new MP3 format is based on Agere Systems' technology. The encoding uses psychoacoustic techniques to capture spatial and speed information for additional channels, thus preserving compact file size. The new format is backward compatible.

LWDRM allows copying of MP3 files, but the user needs to mark files first with a digital signature and register it. So when a file appears on a P2P network, the original copyright violator can be identified directly through the signature - Is this the end of free illegal file sharing?
More details on DigitalAudioNews and in a PC Magazine Article.