MPEG-4 clears the way for standarized DRM adoption

April 2, 2003

DRM (Digital Rights
Management) is something that should protect content companies, like Disney and
the record labels against piracy, while still giving the consumer fair use
capabilities. DRM is already available in Windows Media, and also MPEG-4, the
standard supported by e.g DivX will have DRM functionality. DRM is almost for
sure an essential element for MPEG-4, because content producers require this, to
protect their property and will else switch to another format. The format
already included DRM functionality but it was not really standarized and left
open, making it a turn of to content producers.

MPEG-4 currently allows content producers to use interfaces to
accept third-party DRM software but because it is left so wide open, is a
huge turn-off for content owners. Microsoft and RealNetworks have already
built DRM capabilities within their respective
offerings and Jones said content owners are choosing those platforms ahead
of MPEG-4 because they want a single solution on a single platform.

Now, it appears the ISMA has found an aspirin for the DRM headaches.
The latest spec will build upon the alliance's v1.0 specification released
in 2001 and it is being hailed as the "significant next step" towards
market adoption of multi-vendor, interoperable streaming media products
and services.

"It builds upon existing open standards and provides a core technical
foundation for the protection of digital content. It will ultimately
enable a wider range of high-value content to be distributed by content
owners and help to promote greater product and service interoperability,"
Jacobs added.

MPEG-4 is currently one of the technologies that is backed
by many companies and should become the standard on streaming audio and video.
MPEG-1 layer 3, best known as MP3 already showed the potential of the MPEG
Group, and the adoption of Quicktime and DivX have already expanded the market
presence of the format. Rivals of MPEG-4 are currently Real Media and Windows
Media. Read the entire story here.

Source: Internetnews.com