International Recording Media Association

1
International RecordingMedia Association
ASEAN-USPTO Workshop Bangkok 21-22 Oct.,
2004 James Wise Director Anti-Piracy Compliance
Program - Asia
2
What is IRMA?

• International Recording Media Association
• Advocate for growth of all recording media and
  industry forum for exchange of information
  regarding trends and innovations
• Members include 180 companies with 475 locations
  representing 80 the industrys capacity

3
The APCP

• IRMA Anti-Piracy Compliance Program
• to protect intellectual property rightsin the
  replication of optical mediaby adherence to the
  procedures and guidelines in the IRMA APCP

4
Participants

• Europe 30 sites certified an additional 5
  working toward certification
• North America 19 sites certified an additional
  9 working toward certification
• Asia and Australia 12 sites certified an
  additional 6 working toward certification

5
Content Protection

• The production chain from creation through
  manufacturing and on to distribution is long
• Many individuals from both the original content
  owner and suppliers/vendors have access to the
  content
• The risk of loss or theft is significant

6
Areas to Protect

• Prior to release recording studios, film
  studios, software developers
• Manufacturing mastering and replication, artwork
  creation, printing
• After release distribution, retail, consumers

7
Pre-Release

• Content owners must protect IP before the
  official release date
• Use watermarking and copy protection on
  pre-release copies
• Limit internal access
• Use only certified vendors

8
Post Release

• After release, high-quality digital sources are
  available in every shop
• Watermarking has no deterrent value when mass
  replicated
• Copy protection technology may deter casual
  users, but is no barrier to commercial pirates

9
Manufacturing

• Risk of theft by rogue employees
• Risk of theft by outsiders
• Factory may out source some production
• Factory may blatantly pirate through over-runs or
  transfer of source to other factories

10
Choosing Manufacturers

• Content owners must carefully choose
  manufacturing partners
• Price is not the only consideration
• The IRMA Anti-Piracy Compliance Program is one
  way for content owners to select manufacturers

11
What is Authorized?

• Legitimate replicators receive orders directly
  from content owners, licensees, and brokers
• How can the replicator be sure the customer is
  authorized?

12
Seeking Proof

• Many replicators do not require any proof that
  the customer is authorized to have the product
  manufactured
• Some ask for documentation if something seems
  suspicious
• IRMA Anti-Piracy Compliance Program offers a set
  of best practices

13
Proving Authorization

• Documentation from original content owner
• Indemnity letters not acceptable
• Customer background information
• Shipping address
• Traceable means of payment

14
Verifying Authorization

• Some content owners resent extra paper work
  associated with verification
• Licensing and authorization information is often
  not available
• In nearly all cases, response time is too long

15
Summary

• Content owners can protect their IP through
  better internal procedures and application of
  simple technologies
• Selection criteria for vendors need to be
  formalized
• Reputable replication facilities need additional
  support to protect IP

16
IRMA APCP

• www.recordingmedia.org/antipiracy.html
• List of certified factories
• Standards and guidelines
• Contact details