Hollywood is teaming up with major retailers and electronics companies to create an open “ecosystem” of digital media compatible with all devices and free from previous DRM restrictions on streaming and ripping.
The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem’s plan is a full scale attack on Apple which has restricted content from iTunes to individual devices and up to 5 computers with its FairPlay technology.
In freeing up the content the group is also allowing consumers to burn unlimited copies of the media onto CD or DVD. This is a risky move for Hollywood, which has been heavily against copying and has been battling online piracy on torrent sites.
"We don't make money when the content is locked down," says Mark Coblitz, senior vice-president for strategic planning at Comcast (CMCSA). "We make money when consumers want to purchase content, and that only happens if you have compatibility between services and the device."
But compatibility isn’t necessarily the motivation behind piracy. Unlocking DRM and permitting rampant ripping could, and is highly likely, to just fuel more illegal file sharing.
Members on board with the DECE include: Microsoft and Intel (who have both failed in previous DRM standard attempts), Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, Sony, Paramount Pictures, Comcast Corp, Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Philips, Toshiba and Verisign.
Digital Content Wherever You Want It [BusinessWeek]
*Photo: Flickr/batterypower *
See Also:
