New Content Protection Technology in Longhorn

Copying digital media content, particularly video, without the permission of content owners, will become more difficult with the next version of the Windows client, code-named Longhorn. When used with compatible hardware, Longhorn will protect video from its original source to its display, and it will support a variety of copy-protection schemes under development in the entertainment industry, not just Microsoft’s own Windows Media digital rights management (DRM) technology. These copy-protection features are critical to Microsoft’s effort to position the PC as a hub for distributing video and audio, particularly as the entertainment industry gears up for high-definition digital video.

Some of these features resemble previous Microsoft initiatives, such as the now-dormant Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB, originally code-named Palladium). However, there’s one significant difference: in Longhorn, Microsoft will actively enforce copy-protection schemes developed by third parties, instead of promoting homegrown technologies as sufficient for protecting content on a Windows PC. Microsoft is making this concession because it needs content owners to trust a Windows PC as much as they trust closed consumer electronics devices. If they don’t trust Windows, then Microsoft will not be able to compete as a home entertainment platform supplier.