Thomson Joins Microsoft-Time Warner Deal

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French technology company Thomson SA said Monday it was joining Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc.'s proposed venture to make anti-piracy software, a move that could relieve European Union concerns about the pending deal. In a joint statement, the companies said Thomson has agreed to purchase a 33 percent voting stake in U.S.-based ContentGuard, changing the deal from a two-company joint venture to three.

Together, they aim to develop new standards in so-called digital rights management technologies, which allow online access to movies, music and other digital content while protecting it from unauthorized copying and counterfeiting. Regulators say the burgeoning technology also could be critical to businesses that need to guarantee a secure exchange of documents.

News source: eWeek

Cont...

"Natural challenges with finalizing all the key features and localization issues across worldwide territories have led to the difficult choice of pushing back the release date," SCEA said in a statement, "in order to ensure that Gran Turismo 4 lives up to the exacting standards of the 36 million-plus fans worldwide that have purchased previous versions."

The delay leaves egg on the face of Sony, who only last week held a high profile party in Tokyo to celebrate the "completion" of the game, and which previously removed the much-vaunted online functionality from the title in order to ensure that it came out in time for Christmas.

There's some speculation that this fresh delay - which may also have a knock-on impact on the launch date of the European version, which had already been delayed into Q1 2005 - will give the firm time to reintegrate the online component, but Sony has so far not commented on this possibility, and is still officially planning to launch a separate online-enabled Gran Turismo product later next year.

#1 Hurmoth on 22 Nov 2004 - 15:48

Nothing really to do with this article, but I was just thinking about the name Microsoft-Time Warner if Microsoft bought Time Warner would it be an AOL Microsoft Time Warner Company

(1 reply) #2 denzilla on 22 Nov 2004 - 18:41

Yay...more crap for honest consumers to deal with while pirates will have it cracked within 30 days after being used.

#2.1 MrCobra on 23 Nov 2004 - 01:35

They crack it because it's a challenge or it's been said that it can't be done. Cracking a protection is about recognition and because they and everyone else should have the legal right to make backups for safe keeping.

I think if these companies want to combat piracy, they should lower prices.

(2 replies) #3 acidsex on 22 Nov 2004 - 19:28

Please. As much as I hate MS, WM9/10 DRM has proven thus far to be uncrackable. Face it, MS hit a home run for DRM and its going to only get worse.

#3.1 SimplyPotatoes on 22 Nov 2004 - 21:04

Yep, MS sure did. So many possibilities will open up for consumers once companies stop fearing their products or content will be pirated, but people will never understand that thinking. So hopefully it will be forced upon the masses...one day.

#3.2 MrCobra on 23 Nov 2004 - 01:39

Why would you want something forced upon you? Are you willing to spend money on a DVD, applications or games and not have the right to back them up? You and every other person should have that right. I'll be damned if I pay $400 for an application and have something go wrong with it and have to either buy it again or pay for replacement discs.

If they lower prices people will buy more. Simple.

#4 thorazine on 22 Nov 2004 - 19:52

I think the reason why Windows Media DRM hasnt been cracked so far its because there is almost no content using it apart from music you can get on mp3, and internet porn movies.
If DVDs were wrapped on WM DRM instead of CSS I'd say it will be cracked by now.

Also not cracked doesnt mean not circumvented, see Winamp WMA plugin.

(1 reply) #5 warwagon on 22 Nov 2004 - 20:42

is this the same Thomson that makes really crappy xbox drives?

#5.1 ParaDockS on 23 Nov 2004 - 02:41

Yeah, I was wondering that too...those jerks

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