Sony announces blockchain-based DRM platform for music, films, VR content and e-books

Sony has announced the development of a digital rights management (DRM) platform based on the blockchain. This new system is based on Sony and Sony Global Education’s previously developed system for authenticating, sharing, and rights management of educational data, and additionally features functionality for processing rights-related information. The DRM solution will focus on the protection of digital content, including electronic textbooks, music, films, VR content, and e-books. Sony says that this newly-developed system is specialized for managing rights-related information of written works, demonstrating the date and time that electronic data was created, leveraging the properties of blockchains to record verifiable information, and identifying previously recorded works. In addition to the creation of electronic data, booting up this system will automatically verify the rights generation of a piece of written works, which has conventionally proven difficult. Sony is contemplating possible uses in a wide range of fields. The system is currently in the prototype stage but if it becomes successful, Sony intends to commercialize the platform and open up its use to other IP holders. Commenting on the same, Sony said: Sony Global Education is continuously carrying out technological development and prototyping towards the use of blockchain technology in the educational field. This newly developed system can be ...