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DRM in the world - April 16, 2007

It's hard to imagine, three months after Sony BMG Music was forced to settle charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission over the record company's use of an undisclosed copy-protection system on several CD releases that damaged users computer, that another division of Sony would do something to bring another DRM controversy down upon itself. But that apparently is what has happened.

Blogs and message boards lit up Monday with reports that several recent Sony Pictures DVD releases, including Casino Royale and Stranger than Fiction were experiencing playability problems on certain set-top DVD players, including, ironically enough, Sony's own model DVP-CX995V.

Speculation as to the cause quickly focused on ARccOS, an anti-ripping system Sony had used on several past releases but had reportedly discontinued last February, after most of the ripping programs had figured out how to defeat it. Perhaps Sony has updated the system has resumed using it. So far, the studio hasn't said.

Whatever the cause, and whatever the outcome, the reports are certain to fuel continued debate over the  efficacy, wisdom and legality of using digital rights management technology to protect copyrighted material.

That debate will take center stage here next week, when Content Agenda plays co-sponsor to the LexisNexis Digital Rights Management Conference in LA. Among the scheduled speakers are Sony Pictures chief technology officer Mitch Singer, and Albhy Galuten, VP of media technology strategy for Sony Corp. or America. I will be moderating two panels and blogging on-site throughout the two days of the conference. A complete agenda can be found here.

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