Everyone knows the story of Goldilocks. The porridge was not too hot and not too cold. It was just right.
So in consumer markets, what would be the Goldilocks DRM solution: Not so rigid that consumers couldn't easily use content they had purchased or leased and not so weak that rightsholders interests were abused. Here are some qualities of a Goldilocks solution:
- Support for multiple business models: purchase, subscription, rent, affinity group discounts (student at particular school, band fan club, etc.)
- Easy-to-use; a simple user experience
- Unobtrusive; DRM protections don't get in the way of customer enjoyment
- Limitations are loose enough; a sufficient number of devices; liberal number of CDs that can be burned
- Support for transferring rights, either in a "lending library model" or, even better, as part of support for superdistribution
- Multiple and secure payment methods: Visa, MasterCard, debit cards, PayPal, etc.
- Secure enough to resist all but the most well-funded attacks
- Secure enough that experts can't create a software program that routinely defeats the DRM system, thereby transferring their expertise to consumer
I'm unaware of a solution in the market place that hits all of these marks. We have some way to go before the DRM is just right.
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