At a LexisNexis conference on DRM this week, MPAA boss Dan Glickman said movie studios were now fully committed to interoperable DRM, and they recognize that consumers should be able to use legitimate video material on any device in the house, including home networks. In a major shift for the industry, Glickman also announced a plan to let consumers rip DVDs for use on home media servers and mp3 players. Glickman repeatedly stressed that DRM must be made to work without constricting consumers. The goal, he said, was "to make things simpler for the consumer," and he added that the movie studios were open to "a technology summit" featuring academics, IT companies, and content producers to work on the issues involved.
Glickman acknowledged that the plan was still in the early stages. The MPAA does not seem to recognize that progress on DRM needs to be made soon, or impatient consumers will increasingly turn to unauthorized sources for content. "We"re working on this right now, trying to find ways to make it interoperable," he said, but added that pricing and business models for such a system are "way beyond my pay grade." It"s definitely a step forward for the MPAA, which appears to be committed to allowing content to play on any device, from any manufacturer. However, not as big of a step as consumers would like.