One Piece of the DRM Puzzle

A rights expression language (REL) is only one part of a solution for DRM interoperability. Shown here is a typical DRM scenario illustrating a plausible path that a DRM-protected piece of content might travel from its creator to multiple endpoints. In the case of digital media, the distributor might be an Internet music store; in the case of enterprise DRM, it might be a file share. The endpoints could be particular applications, users, or devices. In some cases, endpoints can also be distributors-for instance, a home PC might distribute content to other devices on the same network, or an employee in one company might send content via e-mail to employees in other organizations. The difficulty arises when the content creator, distributor, and endpoints are using DRM systems from different vendors.

When the creator first applies DRM to the file, he defines certain restrictions, such as “Read, but do not forward or print” for a document, or “Render unplayable one month from today” for a digital music file. With a common REL, all components in the system could understand the rights that the creator attached to the file.