Microsoft and Disney strike deal to collaborate on DRM and film

February 9, 2004

GristyMcFisty and jef195 both used our news submit to tell us that today Microsoft and Walt Disney will strike a deal to collaborate on DRM (digital rights management) and film. Specifics were not given but according to The Inquirer the deal is part of Microsoft's bid to make its operating systems and software the heart of so called home entertainment systems. According to a Microsoft executive the two companies will be working close together on topics ranging from high-definition film to digital rights management:

"This is really designed so that we will cooperate on digital media initiatives and accelerate the flow of digital content to consumers," said Dave Fester, general manager of Microsoft's Digital Media division. "It builds a great bridge between the technology companies and Hollywood."

Microsoft has put increasing emphasis on its entertainment technology and Hollywood relationships over the past few years, as it envisions a role for the personal computer as the hub of the average home's living room entertainment center.

Under the announced terms of the alliance, Disney will take a non-exclusive license to use Microsoft's Windows Media digital rights management software. The companies did not say exactly where Disney might use the technology, or how soon any such use might develop.

The companies said they would also work together to develop and deliver secure content, and help develop technology that lets different devices throughout the home access secure digital entertainment files. Fester said Disney may also use Microsoft's high-definition media format, which creates video content with considerably higher resolution than ordinary DVDs

Source: News.Com