Managing Rights Management

Digimarc Conference Call - A Few Tidbits

A lot of the call and questions are focused on the ID part of Digimarc's business including watermarking of media content. Here are some tidbits (paraphrased): Blu-ray win not relevant to Digimarc since Digimarc is involved in both formats other than greater sales in 08. IP connected entertainment devices will... Read more →

DRM In Movie and TV Downloads? Wired Says No Way!

Is the movie download business like the record business and should the lessons learned there be applied to movie and TV program downloads? Yes, says Frank Rose in Wired in an argument that seems a bit illogical: The lessons from the music fiasco are clear: Trying to limit the inherent... Read more →

IBM and Digimarc Watermarking Patent Applications

Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight patent applications disclose various aspects of using watermarks. Assigned to IBM, the first application addresses techniques for contents border detection, monitoring, and contents location detection. Assigned to Digimarc, the second application addresses techniques for processing content objects. 20080052516, "Contents... Read more →

Wired: BD+ Helped Blu-ray Win The Format War

Wired has a good story on the contribution of BD+ to Blu-ray's besting HD-DVD in the HiDef optical disc format wars. Sony's victory in the DVD format wars was largely due to its embrace and Toshiba's rejection of a sophisticated anti-copying scheme that promises to be relockable should it be... Read more →

Intel Fingerprinting and Hitachi Watermarking Issued Patents

Tuesday's the USPTO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight patents address the use of fingerprinting and watermarking in content protection. Assigned to Intel, the first patent concerns techniques for fingerprinting digital video for rights management in networks. Assigned to Hitachi, the second patent concerns digital content protection using invisible and visible... Read more →

Delaying the Canibalization of The Cable TV Business

One of the high level themes underlying today's FCC hearing on net neutrality is what's motivating Comcast to interfere with P2P traffic? Their answer is that they manage the use of a small number of users whose traffic my otherwise degrade the experience of the many more users who are... Read more →

Morning Session Main Points

This morning's session boiled down to whether Comcast and cable operators can manage their network by discriminating against specific applications such as Bit Torrent. Some argued that such discrimination is OK as long as the application discrimination is disclosed to consumers. Others argued that in a duopoly, disclosure isn't sufficient.... Read more →

Apple Shuts Down DRM Stripping Site

The Standard (and other sources) reports that Apple has been able to shut down a site that strips FairPlay DRM from iTunes files. The open source Hymm project received a "cease and desist" order from Apple attorney's. iTunes customers can legitimately lose FairPlay DRM in order to play their music... Read more →

Markey's Comments

Congressman Ed Markey's comments include an emphasis on free markets as the foundation for solving bandwidth and pricing issues. This should be No Country For Old Broadband. And Bit Torrent should not be Bit Trickle. Also, check out the SaveTheInternet.com site and their FAQ on Net Neutrality. Read more →

Blogging From The FCC Hearing on Net Neutrality

I'm at the Havard Law School today. Thanks to the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, the FCC is conducting a public en banc hearing at the Harvard Law School on Net Neutrality (NN) and broadband management. There will be a live audo feed for those interested. I'll be blogging... Read more →