A consortium of digital entertainment companies including movie studios, digital device manufacturers, and electronics retailers are trying to take on Apple by standardizing their DRM practices. Originally dubbed “Open Market,” the official name of the initiative is now the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE). As we first reported a few weeks ago:
Open Market is a set of policy decisions and a software and services framework that will allow interoperability of various formats and DRM schemes that are currently splintering the market. That splintering locks users into a single store and format, and is putting a stranglehold on widespread adoption of movie sales online. Multiple sources have indicated that the studios are putting their weight behind the initiative to avoid the fate of the music industry and as a last ditch effort to stop or slow non-DRM movie sales.
The basic idea is that if you buy digital content for one device, it should play on any device. And instead of having 50 different rules for how many times you can play a digital download movie and on how many different devices, DECE will come up with one industry-wide standard. Content and devices that comply with the DECE standard will sport a new DECE logo.
The consortium includes Alcatel-Lucent, Best Buy, Cisco, Comcast, Fox Entertainment Group, HP, Intel, Lionsgate, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Sony, Toshiba, VeriSign and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Notice the glaring absence of Apple and Disney? That’s because Apple already figured this out a long time ago with its Fairplay DRM on iTunes (which also sucks, but at least it is consistent).
DRM SUCKS
Just what we need, a more efficient DRM. When will the music industry get it?
Music should be free, and it will be free in max 5-7 years. Artist and composers have plenty others ways to make money. The record company business model is dieing. This DRM is the last spasm.
It’s amazing that the content industry is still beating this dead horse. Also notice that Amazon is missing from the list, since they have already figured out that DRM is more trouble than it’s worth. The thing is, those that purchase legally will continue to purchase legally, and those that pirate will continue to pirate, even if the content is delivered by armored truck under lock and key. If anything, this will encourage consumers to move away from legal distribution channels and choose an easy-to-use method such as bittorrent.
Finally, they figure it out!
Really though, bear with my interpretation of this: RIAA/MPAA. With an industry cartel circling the wagons around DRM, they will likely successfully argue and lobby for more restrictive and more criminal laws against cracking future DRM. As a consortium they will come up with more precise and larger numbers to buttress their pleas to protect a failed technology.
Complaints about Spore ain’t the end of this issue, that’s for sure.
Pirates shall rule the seas.
The analog loophole, torrent distribution and lack of any real legal enforcement will make any attempts at this universal DRM futile.
Its not stealing if you still have your copy. Realize that digital media will continue to be distributed for FREE no matter what. Learn how to monetize from this FREE distribution via other revenue streams.
We ARE in a bubble, its the bubble where the telephone companies, record labels, and movie studios EXPLODE!
This generation will witness serious changes in how intellectual property is distributed and monetized.
Let the most convenient system win!
Someone explain to me why this isn’t collusion?
Virtually all the major players in an industry, namely the content-delivery industry, have gotten together and are prepared to take collective action, not for the good of the public, but aimed at protecting their business-model.
I know that collusion is supposed to be a secret, but what these companies are trying to do certainly doesn’t seem like good progress to me.
It’s probably not collusion because “DRM” isn’t a major part of the cartel-members’ business, thus it would fail a test that the members (competitors) are less independent than they publicize. Among other things I’m sure, IANAL.
Excellent…now we just have one DRM to crack to unlock everything.
xe xe…but they don’t break that easy do they? especially on mobile gear…
One DRM to rule them all
One DRM to find them
One DRM to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them.
Until the pirates crack it. YARR!
Well…I certain prefer this over the current DRM situation. Its the reason I refuse to buy iTunes content.
As for the collusion charge, if it is well they should already be charged for the collective copy protection on VHS, DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-ray.
It just needs a good brand name that will convey the message that it can be purchased at any store and used on any device. Maybe something like “Plays for Sure.”
I’m choking on the irony that they want to call it “Open Market”.
Doublespeak FTW!
Having worked in the past with several of the companies involved in Open Market on related projects, I can tell you that folks like Best Buy, Phillips and others are ticked off that Apple won’t license FairPlay, at least at a price they’re willing to pay. In two years of participating in dozens and dozens of meetings where Open Market has been addressed as “The Solution”, it was never seriously in the context of consumer benefit, but always as a way to “get Apple”.
BTW - If that doesn’t qualify as collusion, I don’t know what does.
I love the fact that the say they’re doing this to slow piracy by making it easier for people to do what we expect to do with content we own. It’s like they don’t get the concept that piracy exists because some people don’t want to pay for stuff for whatever reason. Free is way better than paying anytime in my book. I don’t think this DRM will work overall, but we’ll see!
Is there an “open specification” from the “open market” group?
If your into stocks and shares then some of the companies in the sceenshot are going way down. You might want to take a futures contract out on them.
Silly billy’s have not changed there business models to suite web content delivery, O well, we can eat there lunch for them.
DRM….. DRPhLEM!
I’ve been in the music industry for over 20 years as a record producer and I’m totally agree - that at this point - just give the people the download for FREE and we’ll still make money from performance royalty. Why do I say this, considering it sounds I would want people to pay for my music ? Well, record royalties never really mattered, I’ve worked with just about every major label in the world and they never pay royalties unless you sue them.
I say- let the labels crash and burn, makes no difference to me…..Happy Downloading Peeps!!!
The hardware of the future will make this above model work. The consumer will not win.
Really? Are we still discussing DRM? We’re more than halfway to 2009. DRM is dead. It doesn’t work. Paying consumers don’t want it. Just stop already. DRM Free is the future. Amazon got it right.
Airtight DRM is physically, mathematically impossible. But the content industry’s lust for *complete control* is so overwhelming they go out begging for people to sell them snake oil. More thoughts here: http://rocknerd.co.uk/2008/09/13/step-right-up/