Managing Rights Management

BBC Reaps Flack

The beta BBC player incorporating Windows DRM is sorta available here. I say sorta because after registration and agreeing to the license which has only 31 numbered provisions, you have to wait for email to find out if you've been accepted to the trial. As of last night, I had... Read more →

Software-based DRM solutions go invisible to Frustrate Pirates

So says Amber Chen of APBNews. But, what is noteworthy in the context of asset protection is its DRM software, which gives content owners and service providers the flexibility to choose the level of security and access. An open architecture allows this safeguard to be used with a range of... Read more →

BBC's iPlayer Beta Live Tomorrow

The BBC is set to launch it's Internet TV service using Microsoft's DRM. According to the Telegraph, the player will be available tomorrow here. The beta version is supported only for Windows XP and not Vista (yet). Controls on downloaded programs include not being able to forward or share. The... Read more →

Recently Published Patent Applications

Every Thursday, the US Patent and Trademark Office publishes pending patent applications. Assigned to Intertrust, the first of today's applications discloses a digital rights management engine. The second application addresses conditional access technologies for cable television, no assignee given. 20070172041, "Digital rights management engine systems and methods," assigned to Intertrust.... Read more →

Recently Issued Patents

Both of todays patents entail watermarking, sometimes referred to as steganography, from the Greek, meaning "hidden writting." Assigned to Inmate Telephone, the first patent describes three-way call detection using steganography. Assigned to Digimarc, the second patent discloses ways of digitally watermarking physical media. 7,248,685, "Three-way call detection using steganography," assigned... Read more →

What Does Vista Content Protection Cost?

Peter Gutmann is a researcher in the Computer Science Department, Auckland, NZ. He has published a very long and technically detailed report, A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection, that probably will be accessible to only the most technically literate. Nonetheless, the paper is an exemplar of the kind... Read more →

Podcast with Hank Risan, Media Rights Technologies CEO

I recently interviewed Hank Risan, CEO of Media Rights Technologies. As noted in these pages, MRT has issued a number of press releases that appear to threaten legal action and/or remind content distributors and software companies of their obligations under various US laws, including, but not limited to the Digital... Read more →

Recently Published Patent Applications

Assigned to Trail.com, the first of today's applications discloses dynamic rights bundling. Assigned to Philips, the second application describes connection linked rights protection. 20070168288, "Method and system for dynamic digital rights bundling," assigned to Trails.com. Abstract Methods and systems for dynamically bundling portions into secured destination files are provided. Example... Read more →

The DRM Arms Race - FairUse4M Breaks Microsoft DRM

As most know by now, Microsoft and hackers continue to play the security game. According to any number articles and news postings, the third and latest version of FairUse4M has broken Microsoft DRM. This arms race is business as usual. Perfect security does not exist. DRM purveyors and hacker tool... Read more →

Recently Issued Patents

The US Patent Office issues new patents on Tuesdays. Issued patents and published applications may be early indicators of the kinds of issues being addressed by inventors and/or the companies for whom they work. Assigned to General Instrument, the first of today's patents addresses a key management protocol and authentication... Read more →