Re: [dvd-discuss] Viant report (was Washington Post Article)

["Michael A Rolenz" <Michael.A.Rolenz(at)aero.org>]

Another Choice quotation....it's rather interesting that this sample DRM 
is a license to use rather than a sale of personal property.


The film industry has also announced a number of Internet distribution 
initiatives,
albeit fewer than music.
As we await such services, let's contemplate how some DRM packaging 
alternatives
might work by examining some simple speculative scenarios. In particular, 
it is
time to examine how a media file might engage users in a commercial way 
when
they click to play.
? Start with a handshake. In the simplest case, a license might be issued
at the point that a server receives notification that a certain content 
file has
been opened on a certain user's machine.This is more information than was
previously available (and the handshake might be quite transparent to the
user). Moreover, licenses can maintain (server-side) records of usage by 
individual
? to allow, say, the first three movie downloads (from an affiliated 
service)
to be free.This is perhaps a loss-leader type of approach.
? Can we talk? More interestingly, a licensing event represents an
opportunity to present a service's privacy policy to a user and force them 
to
acknowledge it. This opens the door to the Internet model that allows 
consumers
to trade personal data for permission to use content.A simple question
might be the next step (name, age, gender) in the personalization process.
Ultimately, real addresses may be garnered through promotional give-aways 
of
appropriate content-related merchandise.
? I know what you need. Targeted rich-media direct-response ads and
promotions are the next step. A license can be issued contingent on 
viewing an
advertisement or group of segments, or a user can be given a choice 
between
watching the ad or paying for the license outright.Ads can also create
"droplet"-type applications containing a coupon or other promotional 
offer,
which sits on a user's desktop until exercised, expired, or deleted. If 
the user is
online, a new (and sufficiently bandwidth-friendly) ad can be streamed or
downloaded for future viewing each time the content is opened. Moreover, 
the
selection of ads can be highly targeted based on information accumulated 
in
prior licensing exchanges (as well as the nature of the current content), 
or by
self-selected interest, raising the theoretical CPM rates for such 
opportunities.
? Extras. To further improve the experience, other content-related 
promotional
materials can be included in the package such as browser skins, screen
savers, etc. These extras, like the extras in a DVD, can be made difficult 
to
include in counterfeit packages.
? Getting to the next level. Finally, up-selling consumers to 
subscriptions,
event tickets, fixed media versions of content (which at some point are 
likely to
become collectors items) or premium service packages offered by their ISPs
(who might be affiliates in this model) is also an opportunity afforded by 
this
type of licensing process.




"Arnold G. Reinhold" <reinhold@world.std.com>
Sent by: owner-dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
02/27/02 01:19 PM
Please respond to dvd-discuss

 
        To:     dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
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        Subject:        Re: [dvd-discuss] Viant report (was Washington Post Article)


The choice quotes notwithstanding, this is an excellent report. The 
author's sympathies clearly lie with the media conglomerates, but he 
tries for balance and has a lot of interesting material. In 
particular, his detailed discussion of the unauthorized distribution 
of movies on the Internet demonstrates that DVD cracking is a small 
part of the problem.

He seems to be trying to guide the industry away from an ever 
escalating enforcement war and into the direction of designing DRM 
solutions that are easy to use and attractively priced, so most users 
will get in the habit of downloading them instead of unauthorized 
copies.  There is a lot to be said for that approach.

It's well worth reading.

Arnold Reinhold


At 5:12 AM +0000 2/27/02, 78v3rc001@sneakemail.com wrote:
>That really is golden. I read through the report just to see it for 
>myself. It's on page 31 for others that may want to find it.
>
>Phill K
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: microlenz@earthlink.net [eclectro/dvd4]
>Subject: [dvd-discuss] Viant report (was Washington Post Article)
>
>
>http://www.viant.com/pages2/pages/frame_thought_copyright.html
>
>
>Here's a few nice exerpts...sorry about the formatting since it was 
>pulled from a PDF file...that they hadn't exercised their DRM 
>ability in the Adobe Acrobat to prevent me....
>
>
>
>
>Moreover, DRM has the greatest odds of being effective if it is 
>introduced subtly, so as not to present an obvious target of 
>opportunity for hackers (who you know will crack it), but rather to 
>convince non-partisan consumers who are uninterested
>in conflict or complexity that legitimate content is desirable and 
>easy, rather than challenging and restrictive. What's needed is a 
>"sneak attack."