Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
18
Commercial Issues, Digital Rights
Management, and Licensing
18.1
Visa or Green Card?
Traveling with inadequate documents not only is foolish but also can lead to serious trou-
ble. So it is with digital media. A quick trip around the block without your passport is not
an issue. But longer trips are simply not feasible without the proper licenses, visas, and
tickets.
Nobody likes to be under surveillance or monitoring, but there are so many people
who are prepared to try to rip off the rightful owners of content that the movie companies
and content-creation industry understandably have very little trust in human nature.
We are approaching a time when playing music or watching a film does not take
place without some kind of authentication from a central server. Many people consider
this to be intrusive and an attack on personal liberties and privacy.
It is because there is so much money at stake that we find ourselves in this position.
There is profit to be gained from selling rights to view as well as rights to use intellectual
property. The downside to this is that it enfranchises those who can afford to pay and
closes out those who cannot. This socioeconomic aspect of the licensing regimes is not usu-
ally factored into the equation.
This whole area is complex and fraught with legal pitfalls. Here we can examine only
some of the issues. This discussion is meant to start you thinking about implications that
you may not have considered previously, but you will need to seek out your own solutions
depending on the factors that affect you. A happy few will have no consequences arising
from this at all, while the bulk of us will need to consider some or all of these issues when-
ever we distribute our products.
18.2
What Is Digital Rights Management?
Commercial exploitation is an important concept to understand. This chapter looks at
some of the issues regarding protecting your content and managing the rights of use—a
very complex subject that affects every stage of the production process.
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