The Myth of El Dorado
Sometimes the naming of things is prophetic, sometimes just stupid, and sometimes Freudian. Microsoft has named its digital watermarking system El Dorado. It might eventually classify as all three of the above. Digital watermarking is the latest move towards allowing entertainment companies to protect their content and supposedly will replace DRM. All it really does is shift the technology behind the concept. Given that the Myth of El Dorado led many to search for a city of gold, at least calling it that exposes the motivations.
A lot of folks got excited that the majors are supposedly abandoning DRM in favor of digital watermarking, but I have my doubts that that this sort of "forensic precision" will be the answer and predict it will cause all sorts of disruption.
I don't think they ever found the gold of El Dorado and I doubt they will this time either.
More reading at Wired.
