Found this today,
Viacom pushes for stronger DRM (MaccNN (CA))
To fight piracy, companies should be installing more DRM safeguards, says Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman. Speaking at a summit of the US Chamber of Commerce, a business lobby group, Dauman has complained that it is now far too easy to copy media illegally, and that companies should be be spreading the use of both watermarking and DRM restrictions. Additionally, he would like content aggregators, ISPs, hosting companies and site operators to further collaborate with corporations, something which is already said to be happening in Viacom's case. Regarding Viacom's lawsuit against YouTube, Dauman says the company hopes to "clarify the rights and responsibilities of all media and content owners in the digital age."
Dauman's statements would appear to run contrary to industry trends, as a number of companies have deliberately rejected DRM in order to attract more shoppers. Sites like eMusic have long been DRM-free, and Amazon's recently-launched MP3 service has been suspected of deliberately competing with Apple's iTunes Store, which features a DRM-free subsection called iTunes Plus.
Viacom is one of the largest media companies in the world, owning TV stations such as BET, Comedy Central and the MTV/VH1 networks, as well as websites and game companies, such as "Guitar Hero" maker Harmonix. [via Crave]
Viacom pushes for stronger DRM (MaccNN (CA))
To fight piracy, companies should be installing more DRM safeguards, says Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman. Speaking at a summit of the US Chamber of Commerce, a business lobby group, Dauman has complained that it is now far too easy to copy media illegally, and that companies should be be spreading the use of both watermarking and DRM restrictions. Additionally, he would like content aggregators, ISPs, hosting companies and site operators to further collaborate with corporations, something which is already said to be happening in Viacom's case. Regarding Viacom's lawsuit against YouTube, Dauman says the company hopes to "clarify the rights and responsibilities of all media and content owners in the digital age."
Dauman's statements would appear to run contrary to industry trends, as a number of companies have deliberately rejected DRM in order to attract more shoppers. Sites like eMusic have long been DRM-free, and Amazon's recently-launched MP3 service has been suspected of deliberately competing with Apple's iTunes Store, which features a DRM-free subsection called iTunes Plus.
Viacom is one of the largest media companies in the world, owning TV stations such as BET, Comedy Central and the MTV/VH1 networks, as well as websites and game companies, such as "Guitar Hero" maker Harmonix. [via Crave]
