Muzzy's summary of Sony's XCP DRM system

I figured I'd write a short summary about the issues regarding XCP copy protection system used by Sony BMG. My research page contains some results from my research, but it's just details and won't give you any idea about the big picture. This page attempts to describe what's going on, without going too much into details. If you want to hear my opinions about this all, you can read them in my Rant and Whine page

For another summary and information on MediaMax as well, see this comparison chart by jiri. It's easier to read than my bloated page :)

Main functionality

"XCP offers a comparatively high level of protection against casual piracy, while working to provide the authorised customer with a quality digital music experience on their chosen platform." -- www.xcp-aurora.com

Problems

"Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?" -- Thomas Hesse, the head of Sony BMG's global digital business. [source]

Other info

Did I miss anything? Mail me if you have additions (or corrections)


Updated 2005-12-06 Matti Nikki <muzzy@iki.fi>