Ballmer touts DRM to customers
Copy protection: Consumers vs. copyright holders
Digital rights management took significant strides toward being accepted by mainstream consumers and businesses in 2003, but hackers and critics maintained their attacks on the technology in the name of fair use and information freedom.
The year started out with a minor hack of Microsoft's e-Book copy protection, but the company quickly made more news by releasing toolkits that would help pre-load Windows Media files on a new generation of copy-protected CDs. Sunncomm Technologies and Macrovision, the leaders in the CD pirate-proofing business, quickly struck partnerships with the software giant.
Not long afterwards, Linux founder and Microsoft nemesis Linus Torvalds sent a missive to the open-source community stating that he believed digital rights management was compatible with the open-computing philosophy, sparking considerable debate.
The biggest move toward consumer acceptance of music rights management technology came with the release of Apple Computer's iTunes music store in April. Songs distributed by Apple were wrapped in a new, proprietary copy-protection technology, called FairPlay, that worked seamlessly with the company's iPods and Macintosh computers. Millions of songs were soon downloaded, with fewer complaints from consumers than typically had been heard over antipiracy protections.
Microsoft, meanwhile, continues work on its rights management technology for portable devices, which--once released--is expected to allow much more flexibility in using MP3 players in conjunction with Windows-based digital music subscription services.
Judges and legislators had their say over copy protection throughout the summer. A U.S. senator introduced a bill that would put limits on the use of copy-protection technologies on entertainment products, while a San Francisco judge heard Hollywood arguments that DVD-copying software should be illegal, because it evaded movie studios' digital rights management attempts.
Microsoft lost a key--if preliminary--ruling in a long-running patent case, in which smaller company InterTrust Technologies claimed that virtually all of the software company's major products, including Windows, Office and the Windows Media Player, infringed on its copy-protection patents. Later in the year, however, rival Macrovision said it had a prior claim on parts of InterTrust's patents, muddying the legal waters even further.
More tangible steps for digital rights management came soon afterwards. Microsoft announced details and later released its new Office suite of software, which includes strong digital rights management for documents, preventing unauthorized distribution of e-mail or Word files.
BMG Entertainment released the first copy-protected CD using the newest generation of technology, created by SunnComm. However, a Princeton University student quickly showed how to disable the protections using nothing more sophisticated than holding down the computer's Shift key. SunnComm threatened to sue the student, but quickly backed away from the plan.
By the end of the year, the lack of standards in the business--and Microsoft's inexorable steps forward across the field--was prompting many calls for open standards and interoperability in digital rights management, including from longtime antagonist Sun Microsystems.
Hackers were back in the news, too. The Norwegian programmer who originally distributed the DeCSS software that broke through DVD protections posted a program online that showed how to evade Apple's FairPlay rights management technology. But just days later, he was back in court in his home country, facing Hollywood studios in a second round of court appearances over his original DVD program.
--John Borland
Microsoft e-book software cracked
A U.K. programmer releases software said to dismantle the anticopying technology in Microsoft Reader, setting the stage for another confrontation in the digital piracy wars.Jan. 8, 2003
Microsoft protecting rights--or Windows?
The giant recently released a free digital rights management toolkit it says will help record labels win consumers over to copy protected CDs. Is it just another market grab?Feb. 3, 2003
Chips losing some antipiracy support
Plans to hard-wire copy protection into consumer-electronics devices are being shelved as the industry grapples with antipiracy policies, standards and consumer rights.March 11, 2003
Microsoft CD copy protection advances
The software giant digs its roots a little deeper into the music business as Macrovision agrees to license its Windows digital rights management technology for CDs.April 23, 2003
Linux founder opens door to DRM
Linus Torvalds posts a message saying nothing in the basic rules for the Linux operating system should block developers from using digital rights management technology.April 24, 2003
Apple's music: Evolution, not revolution
For all the glitz surrounding the unveiling of Apple's new music service, a quick look suggests that it's a solid, but hardly revolutionary, addition to the market.April 29, 2003
Judge mulls DVD-copying case
The judge in the closely watched 321 Studios case says she's "substantially persuaded" by past court rulings favoring copyright holders.May 15, 2003
Microsoft prepares reply to iTunes
As the recording industry swoons over Apple's 99 cent download store, the software giant renews its bet on more-advanced subscription services.May 23, 2003
Microsoft loses key patent ruling
A federal judge issues a critical ruling supporting a patent lawsuit against the software giant brought by InterTrust, a digital rights management company.July 16, 2003
New Office locks down documents
Digital rights management tools in Microsoft's new Office package may give the software maker a new avenue for selling server software and locking out competitors.Sept. 2, 2003
Microsoft moves forward on DRM
The software giant releases a Windows add-on supporting new digital rights management technology and sets prices for DRM server products.Sept. 4, 2003
Copy-protected CDs take step forward
For the first time in the United States, BMG Music is releasing a disc that's loaded with anticopying protection, a move that opens a new round of experimentation for record labels.Sept. 12, 2003
IBM prepares lockbox for home networks
The computer giant readies a digital rights management strategy that includes software controls aimed at preventing illegal use of commercial media.Sept. 16, 2003
Shift key breaks CD copy locks
A Princeton University student has published instructions for disabling the new anticopying measures being tested on CDs by BMG--and they're as simple as holding down a computer's Shift key.Oct. 7, 2003
Patent fight shadows Microsoft lawsuit
A fight over an obscure content-protection patent could wind up relieving one of the software giant's biggest legal headaches, according to digital rights management company Macrovision.Oct. 15, 2003
Stalemate on digital content?
Rights-management schemes are threatening to put customers under proprietary lock and key. And critics warn that Microsoft is gaining too much power, from multimedia to corporate memos.Nov. 6, 2003
Program points way to iTunes DRM hack
The Norwegian programmer who created a widely used DVD-cracking tool turns his attention to Apple's copy protection for iTunes.Nov. 24, 2003
