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Microsoft Patents DRM'd Torrents

Anonymous Crobar writes "Microsoft has received a patent for a 'digital rights management scheme for an on-demand distributed streaming system,' or using a P2P network to distribute commercial media content. The patent, #7,639,805, covers a method of individually encrypting each packet with a separate key and allowing users to decrypt differing levels of quality depending on the license that has been purchased."

6 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. Re:That's actually pretty clever by Kjella · · Score: 4, Informative

    Hahhahahahahahaha, you're serious aren't you? The malware/scammers have been distributing DRM'd WMV files for ages, hoping to make suckers get rooted by their malware or steal their credit cards. Nobody distributes them except retards and others too lazy to check their downloads, this changes nothing at all.

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  2. Re:Solves the piracy problem at the user end... by Nadaka · · Score: 3, Informative

    except that "steeling" a product results in a civil fine. Cracking DRM is a federal felony that can get you decades of hardcore prison time.

  3. Re:That's actually pretty clever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I'd pay (a small amount) for 720p content if I could just as easily get SD stuff for free, even if pirating the 720p stuff was just as easy. I *want* to buy stuff, they just make it so difficult.

  4. Re:blah blah by Nadaka · · Score: 1, Informative

    If I wanted a top level post, I would have posted at the top level. When I got here, that was the only post, I replied to it specifically because it had already mentioned prior art.

  5. Re:Patent Office Gets a Promotion by Theaetetus · · Score: 3, Informative

    So, is the patent office interpreting a law, then?

    Yeah, that's kinda their job - interpreting 35 USC 101, 102, 103, and 112, among others.

  6. Re:That's actually pretty clever by tixxit · · Score: 4, Informative

    The patent is NOT about distributing encrypted files, that is just one requirement of the process. RTFP.