Th EU opened up a four-month long investigation into Microsoft and Time Warner’s agreement to control ContentGuard, the DRM patent holder. Some more details:
– MarketWatch: European regulators said the probe will involve a review of vertical integration of Microsoft into other markets. “The notified concentration may have spill-over effects on a number of related markets ranging from mobile telephony to word processors,” the Commission said.
– EC Release: “ContentGuard may have both the incentives and the ability to use its IPR portfolio to put Microsoft’s rivals in the DRM solutions market at a competitive disadvantage. ”
– Ovum Analyst Dario Betti in An E-mail Note: “The essence of Content Guard XrML is the availability of interoperable solutions. It is the grammar that DRM solutions could use to talk to each other. Hence, it will be as strong as the number of solutions that will deploy it. If Microsoft attempts to
provide unfair terms it will also limit the appeal of XrML. Other solutions
have priced themselves out of the market in the past (MPEG4 did so when it
first came to the market). The same could happen to MPEG21/Content Guard.
Is Microsoft trying to kill the possibility of interoperable solution by
undermining one of its pillars? This is unlikely, let’s remember that there
are other rights expression languages in the market (the OMA picked
XML/ODRL). So people could choose with their feet.”
WaPo: “If the E.U. rules against the deal, it would close the European market to ContentGuard.”
Subscriber content
?
Subscriber content comes from Gigaom Research, bridging the gap between breaking news and long-tail research. Visit any of our reports to learn more and subscribe.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Comments have been disabled for this post