Managing Rights Management

Intertrust and IBM DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today Spotlight Applications concern various aspects of DRM. Assigned to Intertrust, the first of today's applications discloses techniques for dynamic media zones. Assigned to IBM, the second application discloses techniques to procure and audit digital rights management event data. 20090031431,... Read more →

HD and DRM

Writing in Personal Computer World, Barry Fox has a useful article on the dilemmas facing both consumers, studios, and networks over protecting HD video from capture, copying, and redistribution. The studios would prefer that consumers use HDMI compliant connections, but there are extensive legacy devices that only accept analog inputs.... Read more →

Digital Rights Management Issued Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents address various aspects of digital rights management. The first of today's patents addresses techniques for information protection of digital content, no assignee given. The second patent addresses techniques for the integrity protection of streamed content, assigned to Nokia.... Read more →

DVD Assoc Changes Name, Petitions For Less Expensive Licensing

The DVD Association is now the International Digital Media Alliance (IDMA). They are petitioning the Blu-ray Disc Association and AACS-LC for better licensing terms for blu-ray disc providers: 1 - make BDA/AACS licensing simpler; 2 - make AACS per-title licensing less expensive; 3 - reduce the AACS CPA fee to... Read more →

Adobe Opens Up RTMP But Keeps DRM Under Wraps

Ars Technica reports that Adobe is opening up its Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), its widely used streaming media protocol. At the same time, Adobe is taking legal steps to protect the DRM components used in conjunction with RTMP. Adobe has declined publish details about RTMP's DRM mechanism and will expressly... Read more →

Hearing In RIAA Copyright Case Postponed - RIAA Appeals

The hearing previously scheduled for today in the RIAA instigated law suit against Joel Tennebaum (Sony BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum) has been postponed to allow the RIAA to appeal Judge Nancy Gertner's decision to allow the hearing to be webcast. Read more →

Digital Watermarking Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications address aspects of digital watermarking. Assigned to Philips, the first application discloses techniques for watermark detection. Assigned to The Hong Kong University Of Science And Technology (HK), the second application discloses techniques for loss-less watermarking. 20090019286, "Watermark... Read more →

FTC Publishes Proposed Topic List For March DRM Town Hall Discussion

The Federal Trade Commission has now published a list of proposed topics for the DRM Town Hall to be held (and webcast) on March 25 in Seattle. The topic outline is both broad and detailed and worth reviewing. The legal section proposes these topics: Legal Landscape of DRM: The Copyright... Read more →

Digimarc and Microsoft Watermarking Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO publishes new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern various aspects of digital watermarking. Assigned to Digimarc, the first patent addresses optimized digital watermarking functions for streaming data. Assigned to Microsoft, the second patent concerns license-based cryptographic technique, particularly suited for use in a digital rights... Read more →

Hearing In RIAA Copyright Case To Be Televised

The Boston Globe reports that Federal District Court Judge Nancy Gertner has agreed to allow next week's hearing in the RIAA's copyright suit against BU student Joel Tenenbaum to be televised. Tennebaum's legal defense team includes Harvard Law School professor Charles Nessom. [Judge Gertner] dismissed as "specious" the recording industry's... Read more →

Vudu and LG Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Patent Applications address various aspects of conditional access systems. Assigned to Vudu (nee Vvond), the first application discloses techniques for access control of media services over an open network. Assigned to LG Electronics (KR), the second application... Read more →

Subscriber's Email Address Remains In DRM-Free Tracks From iTunes

Writing on CNet.UK, Nate Lanxon says that all though DRM has been removed from iTunes tracks, consumers should be aware that these files do still have the email address of the iTunes subscriber. Although iTunes Plus files feature no copy protection, files downloaded still contain the email address you have... Read more →

Philips and Alcatel Watermarking Patents

Today's Spotlight Patents address various aspects of watermarking. Assigned to Philips, the first patent concerns techniques for increasing the integrity of watermarks using robust features. Assigned to Alcatel-Lucent, the second patent concerns techniques for capture of location specific media related information and delivery through communications network. 7,478,242, "Increasing integrity of... Read more →

FTC Solicits Comments on DRM

The Federal Trade Commission is soliciting comments on Digital Rights Management technologies. The solicitation is in advance of a FTC Town Hall to address Digital Rights Management Technologies which is scheduled to take place Wednesday, March 25, 2009, in Seattle. Digital rights management (DRM) refers to technologies typically used by... Read more →

Interoperable DRM and Multi-device DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications address various aspects of DRM. The first application discloses interoperable DRM systems, no assignee given. Assigned to Microsoft, the second application discloses portable digital rights for multiple devices. 20090013185, "Compatible system of digital rights management and method... Read more →

Apple Retains DRM As Well

EFF Activist Richard Esguerra has a useful blog posting on Apple's remaining DRM and DRM-related technologies, although I fundamentally disagree with the EFF and Esguerra on DRM outside of the music industry. Still, Esguerra's blogicle is worth a read. He points out that Apple still uses DRM: In fact, an... Read more →

Apple Drops DRM, Adopts Variable Pricing

Apple has dropped the use of its FairPlay DRM that restricted the number of copies that could be made of music tracks while adopted variable pricing and giving pricing control back to the labels. This Variety article has a good summary of the situation. Since the labels are throwing in... Read more →

WSJ: RIAA Drops MediaSentry, Picks Up DtecNet

The Wall Street Journal reports that the RIAA has dropped MediaSentry (Safenet), an application that finds and documents copyrighted music on consumer and student PCs. The information is then used as evidence in the RIAA-instigated lawsuits against individuals. Instead, the RIAA will use software or servies from Danish software provider... Read more →

BD+ Broken Yet Again

As many news outlets (e.g., CDRInfo, ) have noted, the latest version of BD+, the virtual machine based software that protects movies and games on Blu-ray discs. The cat and mouse game continues. Read more →

NetBarrage and Samsung DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight applications address various aspects of DRM and copyright protection in mobile contexts. Assigned to NetBarrage (IL), the first application discloses a Peer to Peer file sharing mobile system with copyright protection. Assigned to Samsung, the second application... Read more →