A common DRM system

Ideas come and go. But Digital Rights Management (DRM) hangs around looking for a solution.

In this world where copying media which belongs to someone else and sharing the files illegally is worrying all media producers, from journalists, to musician and labels, to movie houses, to TV broadcasters.

But on the other hand when proprietary DRM is imposed then consumer rights are blocked - for example the right to resell a CD or eBook, or lend them to a friend to listen or read (note in both cases no copy is made, so all is well). Or the right to record a DVD in your computer or a TV program for you own use. Even worse is the trend today to regard buying a copyright work not as conferring ownership but as lending it for use, with the possibility of retrieving it if the seller wishes.

So is there a solution? The problem essentially comes down to proving ownership. This implies that the owner or purchaser himself can be uniquely identified, and this ID can be tied to the media.

First we have to have unique, electronic IDs. This needs a trusted body to issue them with a unique electronic signature. This is a job for governments.

Second, when you purchase media you should have to use this ID to mark, or encrypt the media. Then when you want to use it you should use the ID to decrypt the media. If you sell the media then it should be re-encoded with the buyers ID. Any straight copy made will not work without the ID of the purchaser.

We all need to protect artists and creative people, we all need a common DRM system. We cannot continue to lock up delivery chains, as we have tolerated for years with the CD and the DVD. We must have an common DRM system.