William J. Cody

MSIT 526

10/25/05

Digital Rights Management Outline

I.                    Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a technology invented to protect an author’s digital content such as music, visual artwork, movies, and video games.  Several methods of copy protection exist on the various platforms on which they are viewed or played, and are constantly evolving to combat piracy.  With high-definition content becoming available in future operating systems, consumers may have to purchase special equipment in order to view it, essentially overhauling their computer to enjoy legally-purchased high-definition content.  While DRM can be useful in business organizations for disseminating crucial business documents, the average consumer may be overly burdened by overzealous digital content providers.

II.                 History of Digital Rights Management

a.       Transition from tape to Compact Disc

b.      Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

c.       Legal enforcement of DRM

III.               Digital content creators/DRM advocates

a.       Musicians

b.      Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

c.       Recoding Industry Association of America (RIAA)

d.      Computer/console game creators

e.       Microsoft

IV.              Sources of digital copyright infringement

a.       Hackers

b.      Peer-to-peer groups (P2P)

                                                               i.      Napster

                                                             ii.      Grokster

                                                            iii.      WinMx

                                                           iv.      Kazzaa

V.                 Methods of digital rights management and copy protection systems

a.       Macrovision

b.      SafeNet

c.       Windows Media DRM

d.      Digital Transmission Content Protection (DTCP)

e.       High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP)

f.        Advanced Access Content System (AACS) (to be used on Blu-ray and/or HD-DVD)

VI.              Opponents to DRM

a.       Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure

                                                               i.      Impacts as a free trade barrier

b.      Electronic Frontier Foundation

c.       Boycott-RIAA

d.      Professional musicians

                                                               i.      Disseminated instructions on their websites for fans to defeat copy protection on their own CD’s

VII.            Failed DRM methods

a.       Product activation

b.      DIVX

c.       Physical protection

d.      Content Scrambling System (CSS)

e.       Digital watermarking

VIII.         Legal ramifications

a.       State and Federal laws

b.      Fines, imprisonment, confiscation of equipment

IX.              Future of DRM

a.       Microsoft Windows Vista

                                                               i.      Special computer monitor required to view high-definition content

b.      Personal high-definition televisions requiring HDCP in order to view high-definition content

X.                 Conclusion

a.       Increased cost for consumers

b.      Inability to make personal backup copies of legally-purchased content

c.       Possible backlash/boycott of special equipment purchase requirements

d.      Determination of P2P advocates and hackers to defeat copyright protection