Get Ready For The Next Entertainment Industry 'Solution' To Content Distribution: Kinder, Gentler DRM

from the this-is-a-problem-that-doesn't-exist dept

Earlier this year, we wrote about how many in the entertainment industry were betting on DECE -- or Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem. Basically, it's yet another type of DRM that is so kind as to give you back certain fair use rights, to let you play the same content on multiple devices. While Disney and Apple are holdouts (Disney has its own version called "Keychest" -- and Apple is, well, Apple), much of the rest of the entertainment and tech industries are lining up behind this solution, which is supposed to finally start hitting the market this fall, under the ridiculous new name: UltraViolet.

While I think it's great that the industry is finally realizing that locking content to a single device is something of a non-starter, I'm still trying to figure out what consumer problem this solves. Allowing content on multiples devices could already be done -- just without DRM. So this isn't adding any value to consumers. Just to the industry that, falsely, still thinks it needs some kind of DRM.

Filed Under: dece, drm, fair use, ultraviolet

Is Hiding A New DRM Standard Behind The Guise Of 'It Works On Any Device' Really That Compelling?

from the not-convinced dept

A few months back, we wrote about Disney's attempt to create a new kind of DRM called "keychest" that would supposedly let a "buyer" (really, limited use "renter") access the content he or she paid for on a variety of devices. As I noted at the time, all this was really doing was giving you back your fair use rights on content, while wrapping it in additional DRM. Many noted that this was actually Disney's attempt to respond to a wider industry initiative (that Disney is not a part of) called DECE for Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem. While many are excited about this, I still fail to see what the big deal is. With the Consumer Electronics Show underway this week, DECE is getting a ton of publicity, where it will be demoed. But it's still the same old story. It's giving you your fair use rights wrapped up in another layer of DRM that you have to hope never goes away. It's good that the industry is finally realizing that locking you to a single device is a bad idea, but this isn't the solution.

Filed Under: copyright, dece, drm, fair use, hollywood, movies