We can verify authenticity. We can transfer authenticity. I think about BitCoin and the security of the network. Everyone on the network can verify the origin and authenticity of a transaction.
Could something similar be put in place for media? A distributed DRM essentially? While DRM in its current form is a nightmare, isn't the main drawback being tied down to certain platforms? If DRM were decentralized, I don't think I would have a problem with it.
Your concept seems ridden with so many problems and possibilities or abuse that I'll let this as an exercise to the reader... (example: how do you "tag" existing files? existing CDs? whose interest would this be? would people bother? etc.)
To tag existing CDs, we've already seen that problem solved with iTunes Match.
To get people to do it, it would be a part of uploading media files. If SOPA were to pass, I imagine hosting sites would require only "signed" media. It wouldn't be perfect, but any distributed file would be signed at creation. Self signing would be simple enough if it were built into media programs. The key to all this is that nobody controls it, and the standard is open source. Once again looking at BitCoin as a role model.
Also, I don't think it's fair to tag a concept "ridden with problems and possibilities for abuse". It's a concept, not an implementation. And it was a mighty vague one at that.
Yeah, this has been discussed (but not enough). If you've legally licensed something, the owner should provide you with a certificate of some sort. We already have this with those Windows holograms to some extent. It would be expensive to set up, though.
We can verify authenticity. We can transfer authenticity. I think about BitCoin and the security of the network. Everyone on the network can verify the origin and authenticity of a transaction.
Could something similar be put in place for media? A distributed DRM essentially? While DRM in its current form is a nightmare, isn't the main drawback being tied down to certain platforms? If DRM were decentralized, I don't think I would have a problem with it.
Thoughts?