INDICARE Article Flow

The INDICARE Monitor 8 has been published! Short, insightful articles on Digital Rights Management and related issues. Some fresh ones and a few that have been online for some time. Take your pick:

About the mind-set of software pirates
Editorial of INDICARE Monitor Vol. 1, No 8, 28 January 2005

Abstract: The term "piracy" is used quite often, while still little is known about "pirates". An empirical sociological study about software pirates sheds some light on this crucial subject. Its special strength is to focus on the mind-set of "pirates" and its foundations. However we also found some limitations of the study, mainly that the context of interpretation chosen is still too narrow. In any case, more studies of this type could help to better understand the pirate-consumer conundrum.

Keywords: software piracy, business models, survey, Germany

"Two souls, alas! are lodg'd within my breast…"
Results of an online-survey on film consumption and piracy

Abstract: This article presents results from an empirical study about consumers and "pirates" of film media. It starts from the assumption that the "film system" needs to exploit film content beyond film-theatres by means of secondary film media of which the DVD is most important today. At the same time digitization, the net, and p2p networks have given rise to "piracy". But interestingly, as the study scrutinizes, pirates are not the opposite of consumers…

Keywords: film, piracy, consumer, consumer behaviour

Restriking the balance: from DMCA to DMCRA
A short analysis of the May 2004 Hearing on the Digital Media Consumers’ Rights Act

Abstract: Historically US copyright law has sought a balance between rightsholders' and consumers' interests. The anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have changed this balance to the benefit of rightsholders. Proposed legislation tries to restore the balance: the Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act would reaffirm fair use for consumers and augment the transparency of the use of technological protection measures. But what is fair? And should Europe follow this transatlantic initiative?

Keywords: DMCRA, DMCA, fair use, anti-circumvention, consumer law, US, EU

Digital Rights Management or Digital Content Control

Abstract: In quite a short time, the term Digital Rights Management (DRM) has conquered the world of copyright. The number of definitions given by law or IT professionals is inestimably high. Still, I try to give a new point of view on this matter, starting not so much from the practical realisation of DRM systems, but from the term itself. I wish to assert that DRM systems cannot be described as "digital rights management systems" as they usually do not involve the management of copyright.

Keywords: Technical protection measures, Copyright, Copyright Directive, code as code

When "playing" isn't "playing" or how to achieve semantic interoperability

Abstract: This paper discusses one of the fundamental problems of digital rights management: how to enable the flow of content between different domains: whether from the mobile domain to the world of pay TV or from music download to eBooks. While content itself can easily be migrated from one domain to another – thanks to content coding standards such as those developed by MPEG – the metadata describing the content can not – or at least not yet.

Keywords: interoperability, semantic interoperability, metadata, Rights Expression Language (REL), Rights Data Dictionary (RDD), OMA, MPEG

DRM at IST 2004

Abstract: This year the EC’s annual IST Event was held 15-17 November in The Hague. Two dedicated sessions addressed DRM: “The Evolving Consumer Value Chain: Extended Home Environment and DRM Challenges” (conference session) and “The Future of DRM” (networking session). While the conference session mainly addressed security and interoperability issues, the networking session was characterized by a vivid debate whether the problem of digital IP protection can be solved by DRM approaches or if completely different solutions are required. Although no clear conclusion was drawn, the arguments were interesting.

Keywords: security, interoperability, cultural heritage, preservation, alternative compensation schemes, EU, conference

Eight comments on the first INDICARE state-of-the-art-report

Abstract: The following article is based on a letter the author sent to Natali Helberger, the editor of the first INDICARE state-of-the-art-report. While the overall appraisal of the report is very positive, there are eight suggestions which INDICARE might want to stress in its updates of the report. Most of them deal with intricate technical matters of DRMs.

Keywords: authorized domain, vulnerability, broadcast flag, forensic DRM, price discrimination

Another cry in the wind?
A review of Indicare's first state-of-the-art report

Abstract: This review is written by a columnist writing for the music industry and at the same time a very active contributor to the Digital Media Project (Geneva). He declaredly shares his biased and rather sceptical view of the current situation of DRM and combines it with a rather positive review of the first State-of-the-Art Report of the INDICARE project.

Keywords: INDICARE, Digital Media Project