Startup Tries Watermarking Instead of DRM

Loosehead Prop writes "A U.K. startup called Streamburst has a novel idea: selling downloadable video with watermarks instead of DRM. The system works by adding a 5-second intro to each download that shows the name of the person who bought the movie along with something like a watermark: 'it's not technically a watermark in the usual sense of that term, but the encoding process does strip out a unique series of bits from the file. The missing information is a minuscule portion of the overall file that does not affect video quality, according to Bjarnason, but does allow the company to discover who purchased a particular file.' The goal is to 'make people accountable for their actions without artificially restricting those actions.'"

Re:What's the enforcement mechanism?

[flanksteak]

I'm not an executive, just an..hey waiiit a minute...

Blockbuster Watermark

[93,000]

I see a future with millions of movie files on the P2P networks that are watermarked "Blockbuster Video".

Hmmn, that sounds like Unix...

[davecb]

You can do almost anything, including while (1) { fork(); } but it's logged, so the sysadmin can ask you not to do that ever again (;-))

I'm an idiot.

[93,000]

Please disregard previous post. In true /. form, I just now actually read the summary.

Re:re-encode the movie

[nblender]

The bits they change are subtle and don't affect the overall plot of the movie. So, for example, everyone who downloads a copy of the movie gets Lindsey Lohan replaced with another actor (say, Danny Devito) in every scene in which she appears. This change, while sublime, is preserved through re-encoding.

Quite clever, really.

Re:What's the enforcement mechanism?

[ArcherB]

Heck, the pirate can randomly filter out a few more bits and thus fingering some other patsy instead of him/herself?

SHHHHH! Don't give it away, patsy!

Re:Ohhhhh...

[Oktober Sunset]

If I was in charge, I'd have people who were found with a copy of Spiceworld on their computer executed on the spot.

Re:Ohhhhh...

[iocat]

Dude, if you've played Lost Planet HD and SD, you'll realize that HDTV is as much of a necessity as oxygen, or McDonalds.

Re:Ohhhhh...

[teh_chrizzle]

that their business model is outdated and self-defeating (may I add draconian?), and their prices are unfair.

you forgot ugly, lazy, and disrespectful.