Standard Language Could Aid DRM Interoperability

One piece of the digital rights management (DRM) puzzle is falling into place, as Microsoft and several other players have begun to rally around XrML, a technology that could aid cross-vendor interoperability. Lack of interoperability among different systems is one of the problems faced by DRM products, which keeps companies from being able to prevent unauthorized operations (such as opening, copying, or printing) as content travels among users, devices, and applications. XrML provides a standard language to describe the restrictions on a given piece of content. However, other parties differ on the importance of interoperability and how to achieve it, and DRM faces other hurdles.

The Business Case for DRM Interoperability

Microsoft and its partners have two distinct reasons to want an effective DRM platform on Windows.

Entertainment. Microsoft’s home entertainment strategy envisions the Windows PC as the center of home entertainment, with partners distributing content and selling devices such as players and specialized entertainment PCs. However, this strategy requires content, and publishers won’t provide it if Windows does not have DRM to prevent unauthorized copying and sharing.