RFID Tags for Digital Rights Management

mathemaniac writes "RFID Journal is running a story about a group of researchers at UCLA working on a new RFID application that would provide consumers a means of watching DVDs of movies as soon as they hit the theaters. It could also be used to address one of Hollywood's biggest concerns: piracy of digital content. The group is researching a method of using RFID as a tool for digital rights management (DRM), wherein technologies are employed to protect media files from unauthorized use."

Comments

This has some possibilities...

[ErikTheRed]

Hopefully, they'll use 40-bit encryption and rely on a proprietary algorithm as the principal means of ...

What do you mean it's already been done?

Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Re:This has some possibilities...

[Anonymous Coward]

I propose a two-pass rot13

You gotta be kidding me

[Lifewish]

RFID and DRM? Are they trying to send every geek on the planet apopleptic or something?

Re:You gotta be kidding me

[andy jenkins]

RFID and DRM?

The missing pieces for my sock drawer! I'm going to RFID my socks into pairs so I can track them, then DRM them out of compatibility with my flatmate's feet.

Sorted, now to work on biological DRM for my milk

Re:You gotta be kidding me

[shutdown -p now]

Sounds like a schema to get rid of piracy to me:

1. Release a DRM scheme based on RFID
2. Announce it on /.
3. All geeks (including those pirating movies) suffer heart attack and die
4. Profit!

Simpler solution:

[Anonymous Coward]

Release the movie on a regular DVD as soon as it hits theaters. There's a guy down the street from me who is already using this business model, and it seems to work.

Forumalic Post

[Monkeman]

[obligatory "Big Brother" reference] [obligatory out of place Microsoft flame] [obligatory Soviet Russia Joke] [more 1984 references] [link to funny picture] [link to Goatse] [gung-ho "revolutionary" idea] [flaming MPAA/RIAA] [more Microsoft flaming]

Re:Pr0n example

[Omega1045]

I'm surprised that movie industry is not following up how pr0n industry can be so successful and profitable.

The pr0n industry is successful because guys like tits.

If you have a hammer everything is a nail

[EmbeddedJanitor]

The old adage is often true. In an RFID industry journal, you'd expect to see some outlanding ideas about what you could possibly do with RFID. I'm sure the industry would love to sell a RFID reader with every DVD player and an RFID with every DVD. That this is currently entirely impractical and unacceptable at present is not important

History shows us that people are subject to the tyrrany of small increments. Huge increments in cost , restrictions and rights are generally unacceptable, but people don't seem to mind small increments. Likely in 10 years time most people won't mind using an RFID DVD system so that terrorists can't watch Sleepless in Seattle (or whatever other line they spin us).

Re:Advertising to the content providers...

[Anonymous Coward]

now you no longer need to sneak a video camera into the theatre, you can do it in the privacy of your own home lol

DVD Storm troopers

[DigiShaman]

ST (storm trooper): Halt there citizen!

Me: AAAhhh, where did you come from?!

ST:From a land far far away and a....never mind that. Hand over that DVD.

ME: Why, what did I do, I just wanted to watch the latest flick that came out.

ST: Yes, but you forgot to register your DVD with the Empire Media.

Me: Ohhh nooooosss! So will I get fined?!

ST: No, you just die.

Me: AAhhhhhrrhrrrghhhhh nooooooooo.

Re:RFID is evil.

[imnojezus]

It seems UCLA is evil, too.

Any USC student/alum could have told you that LONG ago.

DRM underwear?

[No Such Agency]

Fruit-of-the-Loom wants you to buy new underwear, so, they turn off the authentication for your year old undies. Now, your washing machine will not run with these undies present.

A true hacker would take a brute force approach and wash his or her undies by hand.