Security barrier

摘要

Digital rights management technologies are believed to be necessary to protect movie and other premium content as digital convergence gathers pace. But with DRM dominated by proprietary technologies, operators could be in for a rough ride. The ability to restrict access to programming to those who have paid for the privilege is the alpha and omega of success in the pay-TV business, as many players have found to their cost. Now, with the growing availability of new consumer electronics products and the expansion of broadband internet access, content owners and others are trying to find ways to protect their rights in a world where they may not easily be able to restrict movement of their content to closed networks. A report from Infbrma Media, Film on the Internet, published last year, estimated that losses to the film industry from files exchanged on the Internet amounted to approximately USD92m.