ContentGuard: Discontent Breeds Initiative

摘要

If you need something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself. Such was the case for ContentGuard and their work in the DRM space. In order to develop robust DRM, they decided that they needed to begin by helping to establish industry standards. ContentGuard, which originated as part of the Xerox Corporation until they were spun off in 2000, had three business focuses: licensing patented technology, developing software tools, and helping the industry to develop standards to support DRM. In late 2001, the company shifted their focus from solutions toward standards and licensing. Recently, with the litigious approach being taken by the recording industry, DRM has again come to the forefront, and ContentGuard sees that this may help promote the development of standards that will help all facets of DRM development--from entertainment to B2B. The DRM market is still in its infancy, according to ContentGuard's vice president of business development, Bruce Gitlin, and, as such, there is little interoperability because of a lack of standards, which ContentGuard sees as severely hampering the industry. More specifically, Gitlin identifies four standards that need to be established: format, metadata, digital rights language, and security. Given our expertise, this is where we felt we could have the most impact, Gitlin says. So how does ContentGuard plan to help the DRM industry (and themselves) in this process? By helping develop interoperable standards that allow companies to create components that work together, according to Gitlin. The standards issue urgently needs to be addressed, and we can do something about that. We are not doing this for the greater good of humankind, he admits.