11/17/05

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Move Over Sony, Microsoft Tries DRM

With Sony still reeling from its disasterous adventure in content protection technology, Microsoft thinks it can do better. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published several new Microsoft patent applications. Among them: patent application #2005025725, "Systems and methods for disabling software components to protect digital media." The application describes a method for distributing a list of computing components that can be selectively disabled. The goal is a flexible digital rights management system that avoids the weaknesses of failed protection methods like CSS. Microsoft admits there's a problem with content protection technology: "Purchasers do not wish to be restrained in the use of their computing devices by security features designed to protect content owners." But that realization doesn't appear to have diminished the company's interest in limiting its customers.

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