Which content protection schedule do I use?

Date:16th April, 2010

Version:0.2

Status:DRAFT

Author:Tim Wright,

1Introduction

This document tells you which content protection schedule to use for a licensing deal, and also a bit about each schedule.

The schedules and this document are available on the Content Protection Schedule SharePoint at

PLEASE go to the sharepoint to get a schedule rather than contacting anyone in Digital Policy.

PLEASE look at this guide if you have a question on a schedule before contacting anyone in Digital Policy.

2VOD/Pay Per View/Pay TV schedule

Use this schedule for:

  • VOD, TVOD and SVOD but NOT AVOD
  • EST
  • Pay per view TV deals (via any delivery means: cable; IPTV; satellite/terrestrial TV)
  • Pay TV (via any delivery means: cable; IPTV; satellite/terrestrial TV)

NOTE the text at the start saying that if the Licensee’s content protection system is one of the 5 DRMs approved by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE[1]) AND has been implemented in accordance with the compliance and robustness rules associated with the chosen DRM, then their Content Protection System is considered to meet the requirements in the schedule that are listed.

The schedule is generally independent of the delivery means so is suitable for delivery over open internet, closed network, cable, satellite and terrestrial TV.

Streaming sections have been added so you can also use this schedule for services streaming VOD window content (e.g. over Silverlight or Adobe Flash). Note the requirements within the Silverlight and Abode Flash sections for Licensees to migrate to Silverlight 4 and Adobe Flash Access 2.0 within certain timeframes. For MFN reasons, this timescale has to be set to June 30, 2010 in the US, but outside the US we have more flexibility. If the Licensee will not commit to the timescales in this schedule, please ask them why not, and if you think their answer is reasonable, put them in touch with me (Tim Wright).

The “Conditional Access” section is only relevant if the deal includes (or will include during the term) delivery a broadcast system (typically satellite or terrestrial). However, if not applicable, please do not delete the requirement entirely as this will mess up the numbering of the requirements listed as covered by a DECE-approved DRM[2]. Instead, if you or the Licensee want extra assurance that the requirements don’t apply in such a case, put in extra text to state their non-applicability or delete all the text apart from the numbering, and put in “Intentionally Omitted” or equivalent.

If the content is AVOD, but is delivered using temporary download methods (as oppose to streaming), you can use this schedule but we can weaken the requirements and drop some of them. Send the Licensee the whole schedule and ask them to say what they cannot do, and then discuss their responses with Tim Wright.

Aside from the Early Window schedule, this schedule is the most demanding, so if you don’t know what schedule to really send and cannot get hold of anyone who can tell you, then you can send the VOD/PPV/Pay TV schedule. If it turns out that this schedule is too demanding, we can send them another or “weaken” its requirements but its probably easier to go from a demanding set of requirements to a less demanding set than the other way round.

3Internet Streaming and AVOD

Use this schedule for:

  • AVOD content delivered by streaming (only)

It can be used for streaming over the open internet or for streaming over closed networks.

If you know that one of the technology-specific sections (e.g. Flash streaming, Silverlight) is not relevant, you can delete it.

4Basic and Free to Air (FTA) TV

Use this schedule for:

  • Basic TV services, both linear broadcast and IPTV
  • Free To Air (FTA) services, both linear and IPTV
  • Catch-up services for Basic and FTA
  • Simulcast services for Basic and FTA

If catch-up, simulcast or mobile are not part of the deal, you can delete these sections.

See the notes on the Low Resolution Mobile section below for more information on mobile.

5Low Resolution Mobile

Use this schedule for:

  • Un-encrypted streaming of low resolution (QVGA – 30 frames/s, or lower resolution) over mobile

Mobile phones generally don’t support an encrypted streaming protocols such as Flash (RMTP-E), Silverlight or SRTP and streaming over mobile is therefore generally un-encrypted[3] (unless a proprietary method, such as that from Mobiclip, is used).

Cellular USB modems are excluded from the list of Approved Devices since these deliver the un-encrypted stream straight into an open environment such as a PC where stream capture tools can be used. Clause 3.1 is designed to require the network operator to employ best efforts in keeping the mobile device accessing the stream to Approved Devices only. Many operators already restrict the types of phones they send a stream to (using http header information or mobile phone identity ranges[4]) so they have this blocking capability already. However, this blocking can be circumvented, so we cannot require absolute compliance, and delivery of un-encrypted mobile streams to a USB modem should not count as a Security Breach.

The definitions in clause 1 (Approved Mobile Delivery Means/Device/Format) may duplicate definitions already in the long form. In such a case, harmonise the definitions, moving material from the content protection schedule to the main body, as required.

6Early Window Content (EWC)

Use this schedule for:

  • VOD services in the Early Window/Hospitality window, i.e. prior to Home Ent (DVD or Blu-ray) release and 30-45 days after theatrical release

This window is currently only for services to hotels, airlines and some maritime services.

EST in this window is NOT permitted at present.

The EWC schedule is the VOD/PPV/Pay TV schedule with the following additions:

  • For HD, the forensic watermarking requirement.
  • This is a watermark from an approved watermark technology provider[5] in the content itself, identifying the time, date and id of user accessing the content
  • Why is this needed? HD on a good screen is so good that people just record off the screen using a video camera and then make the pirated video available. The forensic watermark can be used to trace who did this (the watermark survives the recording process).
  • The watermark is not necessary for SD EWC but is absolutely necessary for HD EWC (but which SPE do not license in any case at the moment).
  • a complete prohibition on any analogue outputs, whether protected by Macrovision, CGMS-A or some other protection method. NO analogue outputs are allowed for Early Window content.
  • If the end user devices supports analogue outputs, but these can be switched off for EW content, the licensee must have a convincing story about how unauthorised re-enabling of these outputs is prevented.

Although nearly all the requirements in the EWC schedule are the same as those in the VOD/PPV/Pay TV schedule, a higher level of compliance to them is required for EWC.

7Kiosk

Use this schedule for:

  • Kiosk deals

Kiosk deals are where users download (encrypted) content (but not a DRM license for the content) onto a USB stick or other portable memory device, and then upload the content to their device at home from the stick and then obtain a DRM license for the content appropriate to their own device.

The Kiosk schedule is the VOD/EST/PPV/Pay TV schedule plus some requirements specific to the kiosks.

8Windows DRM schedules

The Windows DRM schedules for VOD and EST contain the license settings that should be used if the Licensee’s content protection system is Windows Media DRM or Playready.

Note that both schedules are templates and NOT final versions. They need to be finalised to fix parameters for:

  • Outputs – some settings are different if HD is in scope. If HD is not in scope, use the SD setting and delete references to HD.
  • User’s allowed viewing period after first use (“ExpirationAfterFirstUse”) –set this to the viewing period specified in the deal usage rules
  • User’s allowed content retention period after download (“ExpirationOnStore”) – set this to the period that the content can remain on the user’s device for after download that is specified in the deal usage rules

9Airline schedule

I have only done one airline deal so far, so the schedule used may not be representative, but it is on the sharepoint nevertheless. Please start by sending the version on the sharepoint to the licensee and ask them to mark any sections that they do not think apply, telling us why they do not apply. Then get in touch with Digital Policy.

10My deal is not covered by any existing schedule!

Get in touch with Digital Policy as soon as you know the rough shape of the service (content window and types, delivery means, and types of end user devices) and then let’s work together to build a schedule. Please use the Technical Questionaire (available on the sharepoint) to gather information about the service.

11My licensee refuses to sign up to any schedule!

Unbelievable, but it does happen. Please:

  • Emphasise that its clearly very important to Sony Pictures Entertainment that our content is protected and that is what the schedule is designed to do
  • Find out why your licensee cannot sign up to a schedule
  • If they persist with refusing to sign up to a schedule, ask them which alternative means they want to use to give us assurances that our content will be protected. They could, for example, contractually comply with relevant security whitepapers describing their system.
  • But doing without a schedule (except for a FTA deal) is a last option, so be firm and escalate a bit on both sides before we examine how we could do without a schedule

[1] DECE is a standards body that Sony Pictures Entertainment started and support. Mitch Singer was President of the group for some time. Please get in touch with Tim, Mitch or Spencer Stephens to find out more about DECE, and please take the opportunity to discuss DECE with your prospective Licensees. There is or will be more information on DECE in the Content Protection Sharepoint and introductory information at Please introduce your client companies to DECE!

[2] I do know about cross-references, but they sometimes don’t work when you copy text from one document to another, so safer to just put in hard numbering.

[3] Apart from the encryption provided by the relevant air interface standard (e.g. GSM or UMTS). However, this encryption can be switched off by the operator at any time, and generally only covers the radio portion of the delivery – it doesn’t cover delivery across the mobile operator’s fixed network for example.

[4] See for more on GSM and UMTS mobile phone identifiers.

[5] At time of writing, the only approved watermark provider is a company called Civolution. Please get in touch with Digital Policy, with all technical information you can get hold of, if your Licensee wants to use another watermark provider.