Managed Copy May Be Non-Starter By Mark Fleischmann April 11, 2007 — Bet you didn't even know there's a new feature in the digital rights management for Blu-ray and HD DVD that would let you make backup copies on a controlled basis. It's called managed copy. Unfortunately you may never get to use it.

The problem has emerged in the wake of the court decision that spared Kaleidescape. In that case, the judge ruled that the licensing agreement for the Content Scramble System, which protects the regular DVD format, did not include the technical specs for CSS. That loophole allowed Kaleidescape to go on marketing its product, which uses the encryption keys to allow home networking of movies. The unexpected legal snafu has made studio execs more skeptical about including managed copy in the forthcoming final specs for the Advanced Access Content System, the DRM scheme for Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Even without this setback, managed copy may never have made it out of the starting gate. "The economics of the managed copy model are still being greatly debated," a Paramount executive told EETimes.