British telecoms giant BT Group (BT.L) launched a new software business on Tuesday to protect music, movies and photographs from digital piracy.
In making the belated plunge into the brutally competitive digital-rights management (DRM) software market, BT will be going head-to-head with some of the world’s largest software and technology companies including Microsoft Corp, Sony, and Apple Computers Inc.
The DRM offering is part of a larger digital media publishing product called BT Rich Media. The dominant fixed line carrier said it would target the consumer and small business sector with a 100 pound ($184.70) product and large media companies with an offering that costs several times that amount.
CONSUMER CONFUSION
Media companies are keen to see mass deployment of DRM technology to cut down on digital piracy. The DRM software can be used by musicians or film makers to fine-tune their works so that the content cannot be copied or viewed without permission.
But the new technology has become a muddle for consumers as a multitude of incompatible DRM technologies hit the market.
