Microsoft releases Data Session Toolkit

In response to the music industry’s desire to more tightly control how content is used by consumers (mainly to prevent piracy), Microsoft has released the Windows Media Data Session Toolkit. The new toolkit allows content providers to layer Digital Rights Management on top of CD and DVD content. This allows protected to content to be played normally on CD and DVD players as well as PCs, but limits what can be done with the content when used inconjuction with the computer. Consumers could be limited to playback on just the PC and a mobile device.

The protected (or “second session”) content is protected by Microsoft’s DRM technology and does not require users to go online to validate a license.