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RSA Security To Offer A Standards-based Solution For DRM
SecurityProNews
Staff Writer
2004-09-28
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
RSA Security plans to offer a standards-based solution for digital rights management (DRM) that represents a consumer- friendly alternative to the DRM methods currently deployed by several major digital content providers.
RSA Security is planning to release a DRM solution that will leverage open standards such as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) DRM 2.0 and the Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) v1.1, and will help solve the security challenges associated with DRM in ways that deliver equal benefit to consumers, content owners and content distributors.
Current estimates from JupiterResearch indicate that the digital content market will more than double from $3 billion this year to $7.5 billion by 2009. The market potential for digital content distribution has resulted in a conflict between consumers and content delivery services. Consumers expect to easily download content and have the freedom to play it back on any of their devices. However, content providers and consumer device manufacturers have deployed proprietary systems as a means to prevent copyright violations. These proprietary DRM technologies are preventing consumers from easily "sharing" rights from device to device, and as more and more consumers migrate to digital content services, they will increasingly become frustrated with the lack of compatibility and interoperability.
"Failure to deploy industry standards for DRM could bring the market to a screeching halt," said Rick Welch, vice president of developer solutions and professional services at RSA Security. "The current infighting between major content providers over technology is creating roadblocks between consumers and their content. Through standards-based DRM solutions, RSA Security plans to help remove those roadblocks and make the technology an enabler -- not a hindrance."
RSA Security's DRM solution, set to launch later in January 2005, will enable several fundamental requirements for broad-based adoption and usage of both PC-based and mobile content services. Features will include:
-- an open, flexible platform built on widely-supported standards
-- content portability through rights portability
-- a "frictionless" digital content experience through transparency to consumers
-- new revenue opportunities for content owners through support of legal peer-to-peer distribution and subscription services
-- rights protection that can span all playback devices including mobile phones, personal computers, portable digital music players, car audio systems, and PDAs
RSA Security's leadership in development and support of standards such the OMA DRM specification will help drive the market toward delivery of interoperable and trusted devices based on open standards. The OMA model adds the much needed concept of consumer identity protection -- something currently missing from today's DRM technologies.
"Securing and validating online identities and those of the individual devices are paramount to creating content rights portability," Welch added. "That requires a trusted network of devices backed by a solid identity and access management infrastructure that binds users to their devices, devices to their content, and both to a trusted content delivery service. A successful trusted network of devices is unachievable in a market of competing, incompatible DRM technologies. RSA Security is committed to helping consumers achieve secure content and rights portability, while still protecting the revenue streams of the content owners."
Standards-based DRM technology based on the OMA DRM 2.0 specification delivers benefits for all parties in the digital content value chain, including device manufacturers, mobile network operators, content service providers and content owners.
-- Device manufacturers including those who make mobile phones, PDAs, PCs, and portable digital music players can offer compelling, premium devices to consumers while meeting the evolving list of requirements expressed by their service provider partners. This is especially important in the mobile device market, where service providers drive sales of devices and are calling for premium capabilities to meet the demands of their new content services.
-- Mobile network operators will be able to drive additional revenue from rich content services as they face increasing price pressure in their traditional telephony businesses, and as a result will be able differentiate themselves from competitors.
-- Content delivery companies, including traditional "brick and mortar" retail outlets, can diversify by providing high-margin digital content services to complement their traditional retail distribution channels.
-- Content owners have the opportunity to build new distribution channels and retain ownership of their property, while at the same time protecting the crucial relationship between consumers and content originators and artists.
About the Author:
SecurityProNews is a daily online and email publication focusing on internet security issues.
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