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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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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