Neil Young to trademark high-quality audio format

Canadian rock icon Neil Young has filed trademark applications for a "studio quality" audio format to challenge mp3s.

Rolling Stone reveals that Young has filed trademark applications for various terms, including: 'Ivanhoe', '21st Century Record Player', 'Earth Storage', 'Storage Shed', 'Thanks for Listening' and 'SQS (Studio Quality Sound)'.

The application included the description: "Online and retail store services featuring music and artistic performances; high resolution music downloadable from the internet; high resolutions discs featuring music and video; audio and video recording storage and playback."

They were filed in June 2011 and Rolling Stone reports that there will be a year of paperwork before they can be registered.

Young has long been obsessed with new audio technology and has also been vocal about the inadequacy of the common mp3 format to accurately represent proper studio sound. He said that he had met with Apple CEO Steve Jobs about developing new hardware that could store higher-quality digital recordings.