The Road to Nowhere
Hollywood has spent the last several years and millions of dollars trying to convince the world at large that peer-to-peer file sharing is illegal and BAD – something used only by recidivists and copyright-stealing criminals.
It’s wrong on both counts and now a hard-core commercial group is setting about a grand plan to turn that around and make p2p its own.
Calling itself the Content Reference Forum (CRF), it’s launched a web site replete with ringing, double-speak korporate phrases such as contractually-driven global digital content distribution market and value chain participants.
Using a detail from Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco (the one where God touches Adam’s finger, of course) as its intro logo, the CRF ’standards group’ says on its web page here:
"In a move that will positively impact the global digital content market, leading technology and content-related companies have established the to develop a universal way to distribute digital content across various mediums and geographies."
Positively impact founders ARM, ContentGuard, Macrovision, Microsoft, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, Universal Music Group and VeriSign, might be a more accurate description. And would the digital content they’d distribute be their own, perchance?
It’s even come up with what it calls the Contracts Expression Language (CEL), "created by the CRF to express and enforce complex contractual agreements".
It doesn’t say who’ll do the enforcing.
Nor does the pitch suggest the results of CRF’s labours will be shared outside of their own ranks or, presumably, with like-minded corporate entities in ’strategic alliances’, the carefully worded quote below from CRF president Michael Miron notwithstanding.
No one from the open source community which really is trying, "to distribute digital content across various mediums and geographies" is involved. Nor is there a suggestion that open source groups or developers will be invited to participate.
Instead, ominously, "There is currently a lack of interoperability between digital content technologies that makes it challenging for consumers to easily get the content they want, in the format, platform and other preferences they choose.
"Additionally, there is currently no technology framework in place that allows all market participants to ensure that the business agreements they make are respected.
"The Content Reference Forum seeks to address these issues by creating both a technical and business framework to achieve interoperability across multiple technology platforms, and enable new business models. The vision of the CRF is for consumers to enjoy as well as redistribute content with commercial terms beneficial to all members of the value chain."
[Our emphasis.]
Miron (ceo of Content Guard) puts it like this: "An interoperable, context-sensitive, contractually-driven global digital content distribution market is universally desired, yet remains unaddressed. Presently, we are unable to efficiently implement systems that can enable new business models and represent the legitimate interests of all participants; content owners, distributors, technology suppliers, and consumers. The Content Reference Forum was established to find a solution to this challenge that will ultimately help everyone in the distribution chain. We encourage companies to take an active role in CRF’s efforts by providing feedback to our specifications, as well as joining us in helping to foster a dynamic marketplace for digital content."
The CRF will naturally haved its own set of specs: "CRF Baseline Profile v1.0, focuses on digital content distribution on Internet-enabled computer platforms. At the core of the specifications are formats of Content References and a profile of the Contracts Expression Language (CEL), a language created by the CRF to express and enforce complex contractual agreements. Specifications for the Content Reference Forum are being harmonized with relevant standards from MPEG, OASIS, W3C and WS-I. The CRF is also working to harmonize CEL with international e-business standards through the UN/CEFACT."
And ….
"The Forum plans to release the final version of the CRF Baseline Profile v1.0 and design guidelines in mid-2004, and will continually add and release new specifications for public review. Future versions of the CRF Baseline Profile will address standards for areas such as event reporting, payment services, registration of value chain participants, etc. In addition, the CRF plans to develop profiles for non-PC platforms, such as mobile phones and set-top boxes."
And there’s more. Much more.
In short, and tragically, it seems any hope of genuine cooperation between the established, old-guard korporate kommunity and the new innovators is doomed.
On the other hand, the continuing refusal of the KK to allow change is forcing the creation of a new commercial sector in which quality of experience, value for money and a desire to push the envelop and share the results are the driving factors.
So maybe …
