[FYI] (Fwd) Xerox, Microsoft, XrML, ContentGuard, &c.

["Axel H Horns" <horns@t-online.de>]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Mon, 1 May 2000 01:37:41 -0400 (EDT)
From:           	"P.J. Ponder" <ponder@freenet.tlh.fl.us>
To:             	cryptography@c2.net
Subject:        	Xerox, Microsoft, XrML, ContentGuard, &c.

Microsoft is funding an initiative at Xerox's Palo Alto Reseach Center
on digital rights management.  Lots of press hype available at their
sites.

They are touting an 'open' standard initiative called XrML, which is
an attempt to harmonize digital rights syntax.  There is a lengthy web
form located at:

  http://www.xrml.org/tech_xrml_form.asp

which I guess allows one to download the XrML spec.  Why they just
couldn't post it on the site is beyond me - especially if they would
like to characterize it as an open standard.  It's easier to get PGP
or an ISO standard.

I filled in the form, and got this reply:

| Thanks for registering with XrML.org
| The XRML spec will be mailed to the e-mail address ponder@tfn.net
within | five business days.

I think one needs Adobe Acrobat version 4.05 to read the spec,
according to a message posted on their webboard.  

Some of the patents cited at the XrML (http://www.xrml/org) site:

http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn=US05715403__
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn=US05638443__
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn=US05634012__
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn=US05629980__




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