Call for Proposals on Stationary Audio and Video Devices

Executive Summary

This document is a Call for Proposals for Solutions describing some or all of the component technologies needed to implement Interoperable DRM Platforms capable of Using Governed Content according to the requirements laid down in the attached document DMP0328. The precise meaning of “Governed Content” and other terms beginning with a capital letter used in this Call is given in DMP Terminology (DMP0326).

This Call is issued by the Digital Media Project (DMP). More information about DMP can be found in General information about DMP (DMP0318). Anybody, irrespective of its DMP membership, is entitled to respond to this Call. Deadline for responses is 7^th of April 2005.

Proponents who are not DMP members will be invited to attend the DMP General Assembly to be held in San Diego, CA on 13^th to 15^th of April and to the pre-meeting on 12^th of April. The invitation is for the purpose of discussing the proposals. Non DMP members will be given access to all other proposals.

Proponents are advised that DMP seeks technologies that are licensable on terms that are free, royalty-free or Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (RAND). Proposals the implementation of which requires the use of IPR that cannot be licensed on RAND terms or better will not be considered. Moreover DMP may request proponents to release to DMP a source code software implementation of (the parts of their) technologies that will be retained.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

1      Introduction.

2      Antitrust statement on the Digital Media Project.

3      Requirements for responding to this Call for Proposals

4      How to respond

5      Handling of Proposals.

6      Evaluation criteria.

7      General Terms and Rules..

8      Source code and IPR.

9      Timetable and Logistics.

Annex A: Pre-Registration Form..

Annex B: Registration Form

Annex C: Areas covered by the submission.

1          Introduction

The Digital Media Project (DMP) is a not-for-profit organisation registered in Geneva with the Mission to  “promote continuing successful development, deployment and use of Digital Media that respect the rights of creators and rights holders to exploit their works, the wish of end users to fully enjoy the benefits of Digital Media and the interests of various value-chain players to provide products and services, according to the principles laid down in the Digital Media Manifesto”. Please see the attached document DMP0318 for more information about DMP.

DMP operates according to a work plan whose current version (DMP0334) foresees the development and approval of

1.      Technical Specifications for Interoperable DRM Platform

a.       Phase 1 (IDP-1) in April 2005

b.      Phase 2 (IDP-2) in October 2005

2.      Technical Specifications for Use Cases of Interoperable DRM Platform

a.       Phase 1 in April 2005

b.      Phase 2 in October 2005

3.      Recommended Practices for End-to-End Conformance (EEC) in July 2006.

The “Interoperable DRM Platform (IDP)”, whose current version is given by DMP0321 (still at draft level), is not intended to be a monolithic standard aimed at satisfying specific application needs. It is a set of technologies – a toolkit – designed to satisfy the requirements of Primitive Functions that are executed by Users when doing business in the Value-Chain. Examples of the use of the technologies specified in the IDP to build application cases are provided by “Use Cases of Interoperable DRM Platform”, whose current version is given by DMP0322 (still at draft level).

DMP is building the IDP in a step-by-step fashion. In July 2004 it issued a Call for Proposals on Portable Audio and Video Devices (PAV) using a set of requirements developed on the basis of an open process that seeks the involvement of all Value-Chain Users. In October 2004 it selected a number of IDP technologies that became the first set of tools of Phase I of the IDP (IDP-1).

This Call for Proposals calls for technologies designed to satisfy the requirements of Primitive Functions that are executed by Users when doing business in the Value-Chain using Stationary Audio and Video Devices. These technologies will be added to those already existing in IDP-1. The resulting set of technologies will be called Interoperable DRM Platform, Phase II (IDP-2). The technologies should satisfy the requirements identified in IDP Functions and Requirements (DMP0328) and should be usable to support, in addition to the technologies already adopted in IDP-1, the Candidate Use Cases for IDP-2 (DMP0330). This Call makes specific reference to such Use Cases.

2          Antitrust statement on the Digital Media Project

In issuing this Call for Proposals the members of the Digital Media Project make explicit reference to the following clauses of the DMP Statutes that relate to antitrust and competition issues:

Art. 3, para. 5

The business of DMP shall not be conducted for the financial profits of its Members but for their mutual benefits. Discussions about sales levels, methods, channels of distribution, markets, customers, prices or profitability or any other topic which would restrict use of Digital Media are prohibited.

Art. 4.1, para. 3-5

The Members agree to respect all legal provisions and these Statutes concerning DMP. When developing DMP Approved Documents each applicant has to declare himself individually and collectively committed to open competition in the development of DMP Approved Documents. The Members are not restricted in any way from designing, developing, marketing and/or procuring the technologies developed.

Members are not bound to implement or use specific technology standards, or recommendations by virtue of participation in DMP.

Membership in DMP in no way obligates or requires a member to license its patents or technologies to others. If a member chooses to license its patents or technologies, membership in DMP in no way imposes, obligates or requires such member to offer such licenses on any particular terms.

3          Requirements for responding to this Call for Proposals

A proposal shall provide any or all of the following:

1.      Technologies that fulfil one or more IDP requirements relevant to the subject of this Call;

2.      Reference to other relevant standards and specifications, either ready or under development;

3.      Relationship of the proposed technologies with those already being specified in IDP-1;

4.      Comments on the appropriateness of the requirements and/or provision of additional IDP Requirements;

5.      Additional Use Cases for Stationary Audio and Video Devices.

Also, a proposal shall include all of the following:

1.      A completed Registration Form as found in Annex B;

2.      A completed Form of Annex C of which requirements are met and how.

Please note that:

1.      The sole purpose of the form in Annex C is to identify which requirements are satisfied by which Proponent.

2.      The merit of proposals will not be assessed on the number of requirements satisfied.

Also, a proposal may include:

1.      Evidence of an implementation (e.g. an accompanying demonstrator) including a detailed documented description of the system, and any other relevant information;

2.      Means to test conformance of an implementation;

3.      Any other additional information relevant to help the evaluation of the submission.

4          How to respond

All parties that believe they possess relevant technologies for Stationary Audio and Video Devices that satisfy the requirements laid out in DMP0328, hereinafter called “Solutions”, are invited to submit proposals for consideration by DMP. These parties do not necessarily have to be DMP members. The full list of what proponents will be expected to submit can be found below.

Proposals are to be received by:

Digital Media Project Secretariat

Eurescom GmbH

Schlosswolfsbrunnen Weg 35

D-69118 Heidelberg

Germany

either by postal mail or (preferred) electronically, by 2005/04/07T23:00 GMT.

Proposals are to be formatted as Word or HTML documents. If submitted by mail, they must be provided on a 1.44 MByte floppy disk or an ISO9660 CD-R.

Pre-registration is encouraged, as it will help in planning the evaluation process. Please use Annex A to pre-register, fill it out, and send it as an email attachment or by fax or email to the DMP Secretariat by 2004/03/31.

5          Handling of Proposals

The DMP Secretariat will post the Proposals to the password-protected DMP web site on 2005/04/08.

An ad hoc meeting of DMP experts will be held on 12 April 2005 in San Diego, CA to hear presentations made by proponents. Therefore all proponents, irrespective of their DMP membership, will be given access to all other proponents’ proposals.

Starting with the ad hoc meeting and continuing to GA06 (13-15 April 2005) at the same venue, the DMP experts will evaluate the proposals, with the help of proponents, against the requirements given in DMP0328 and considering the Candidate Use Cases for IDP-2 (DMP0330).

For each identified IDP-2 technology the evaluation will lead to either a selection of one proposal or of relevant elements from different proposals and their integration, and to the development of the 1st Working Draft (WD1) of the IDP-2 Specification.

However, for each technology DMP reserves the right to adopt none, one, or a combination of several proposals. All decisions will be made according to the DMP Procedures of Work.

Notwithstanding the rule of attendance at General Assemblies by DMP members only, proponents will be admitted to GA06 irrespective of their membership in DMP. Attendance in further General Assemblies, however, will require membership in DMP.

6          Evaluation criteria

Solutions that will be given preference (not in any specific order) include:

·        Solutions that are based on, or built upon, open standards;

·        Solutions free of royalties and licensing fees (other than optional maintenance fees);

·        Solutions that are demonstrable (e.g. working demonstrators);

·        Solutions that are scalable in functionality;

·        Solutions exploiting commonalities and similarities among and between the various requirements and showing how they take advantage of such similarities and commonalities;

·        Solutions providing a cohesive integrated approach to as many requirements as possible as opposed to individual and non-integrated Solutions to individual requirements;

·        Solutions that integrate easily with those being specified in IDP-1 (DMP0321);

·        Solutions that provide easy implementation of Candidate Use Cases for IDP-2 (DMP0330).

7          General Terms and Rules

8          Source code and IPR

Proponents are advised that, upon acceptance by DMP for further evaluation, DMP may require that software support for certain parts of any proposed technology be made available in source code. Software relating to standards or publicly available specifications that are referenced in a proposed Solution will not be the subject of such a request. This code will be included in a DMP Technical Specification, in the form of Reference Software. DMP will have the copyright of the reference software that is provided by proponents or especially developed by DMP, and this may be employed by users of the standard to make products. Commitment to provide such software is required by GA06 (13-15 April 2005). Actual availability in that case is required by GA07 (July 2005). If Proponents feel that any aspects of their technology should not be made available in source code, then they should clearly state which aspects and why in their submissions should be exempted from the need to provide Reference Software.

All Solutions must be licensable at least on a Fair and Non-Discriminatory basis. Proposals the implementation of which requires the use of IPR that cannot be licensed at RAND terms or better will not be considered.

Publication of the IDP Technical Specification resulting from selection of a Solution, parts from different Solutions and their integration shall be the responsibility of DMP. Proponents will provide any license to DMP necessary for publishing the IDP Specification.

If a Trademark will be associated with the IDP or Use Case Technical Specifications, it will be owned and administered by DMP.

9          Timetable and Logistics

Annex A: Pre-Registration Form

Annex B: Registration Form

Name:

Date:

Signature:

Annex C: Areas covered by the submission

Legend:            F=fully covered

                        P=partly covered

                        N=not covered