BBC adopts DRM

Yes, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a spawn of the devil. No person with a brain can think otherwise. However the adoption by the BBC of DRM (the subject of a current OFCOM consultation) could turn out to be a significant one. The BBC claim that this is needed otherwise the content available on thier HD "Freeview" service will be restricted.

However if the BBC are allowed to adopt DRM in some form why dont they take things to thier logical conclusion and become a subscription service.

Computerworld has an interesting post on this topic. The author is upset about the loss of free content but he has not missed the big picture either, stating that "Employing DRM would undermine the argument for continued funding through a television licence – something that is hardly in the BBC's interest."

We are not really too upset about this development; the BBC and DRM, they richly deserve each other!