A-HA FOR CLASS 8'S READING

Digital Rights Management and Licensing:

Of course it always comes back to the same question... how do we make the money? Digital Rights Management's role in the potential money to be made from streaming media is of great significance in my opinion. The only problem that arises over and over in Wotttton's writing is the fact that the industry standards, DRM, and the industry itself are in flux. This will most likely continue for some time making it risky to invest money and time into a business model and its implementation when it could very well become obsolete. As Drew mentioned in class, it is like the wild west in the field of streaming media right now.

On the other hand, this could be the very best time to get in the game and help set the standard. There is potential to make the business exactly what you need it to be for your products to succeed, though there are no guarantees. DRM provides a way to lock your content and allows you to control the key as to who and how content can be used. The biggest challenge, in my eyes, is understanding all of the ins and outs of DRM to be able to use them effectively and legally. Reading the fine print will make a difference here, especially because of the constant change and growth in the area. Even if you find a strategy to make money, if you encounter a liability that you weren't counting on you could be totally screwed. There are so many different levels on which you must consider these liabilities that it makes my head hurt!