educational

Protecting Video Content: Part 2

In Part 1 of this article, I addressed some of the primary issues facing web sites wanting to protect the video content that they offered from users trying to steal it. In today's conclusion, I'll discuss solutions: Your best option for content protection is Digital Rights Management (DRM), but just how does it work?

In DRM you, as a content producer, encrypt your video files. This means that whenever a user tries to play one of your videos the actual player contacts the DRM service provider to assess if the user has permission to watch it or not. The DRM service provider checks against your user database and sends a license to watch the video if the user is still active. If not, they will be refused access. DRM can be used to your advantage in various ways – let’s look at how it can solve the issues we have already covered.

3 Day Pass
When the user cancels his membership within 3 days, his license to view the content is simply stopped and he cannot watch the videos anymore. This method can also be easily applied to members who cancel subscriptions after weeks or months of usage. The minute they cancel all of the videos they have downloaded to their hard drives just stop working.

P2P
DRM issues a license to a specific PC and not to a user. This means that even if the user uploads a video to a peer to peer system for other users to copy, they will not be able to watch it unless a new license is issued. If the user has already been given a license to watch a video on his PC, we will not issue any more licenses and those users who downloaded videos via P2P will not be allowed to watch them.

Some sites are actually turning P2P systems into a marketing advantage. Rather than just telling the user that downloads in this way that they cannot watch the video, they are offering him the option to access it. For example, when he tries to watch the download he’ll be told that he cannot because he hasn’t paid for it. He will then be offered the chance to sign up to the site at a special reduced price, at which point he can watch this video plus all the other site content. This strategy has proved to be very successful from a marketing perspective.

Credit Card Charge Backs
Every time a user tries to watch a video the DRM system has the capability of optionally recording details such as the time the video was watched and the IP address of the computer that was used. It can also store other information such as cookie values etc. If a user tries to charge back, we simply go into the log files, look up everything that he has watched so that it can then be determined if the charge back is genuine or a case of outright fraud.

User Distribution
In this instance we can apply the same rules used on P2P systems to stop content being distributed. Users trying to access videos via email or similar media will not be allowed to see the content without a license.

Pirates
A DRM server is capable of knowing exactly who is playing your video and where it is being played, anywhere in the world. This applies even it is being played behind a firewall or on a computer in an ultra-secure location. When videos are protected by DRM every user needs a license to play which alerts the server to the viewing. As the content owner, you can pinpoint any user guilty of copying your videos and distributing them on internal networks.

By now you may be thinking that a DRM solution incurs the kind of expense that can only be afforded by industry big boys. Whilst this was the case up until a year ago, it’s not true today. Historically DRM solutions were hard to implement as they involved so many variables, and companies needed a dedicated IT group to get it right. Nowadays we can use software companies that purely specialize in DRM systems, allowing them to provide solutions and implementations rapidly. This has also led to a decrease in implementation costs. At the end of the day implementing DRM to protect your video content makes sound economic sense for any business. Content that is protected will result in more sales on your web site, whether you are blocking P2P traders and pirates, turning illegal downloaders into customers or stopping the abusers of the $2.99 trial.

Just remember – as a content owner you’ve put your creativity and your time into crafting content with a commercial value. DRM solutions give you a real chance of protecting both your content and your financial returns.

Case Study
www.karadavis.com is a popular adult web site with a growing user base. The site produces small video clips lasting about 5-10 minutes, all of which are exclusively produced for the site. They turned to DRM as a solution when they discovered that their content was being widely distributed on peer to peer servers. After installing DRM they quickly saw their revenue rise as users who were really interested in viewing the videos started to subscribe to the site once they couldn’t access them free of charge on P2P.

If you want to protect your online video content, DRM is the answer!

About the author: Jay Janarthanan is the co-founder and CTO of objectcube.com where he leads current development efforts on objectCube’s video on demand technology offerings. His past work includes research on cryptography and the digital distribution of media assets. objectCube is currently one the largest DRM service providers with many well-known clients in the adult industry. You may contact the author at jay@objectcube.com

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

WIA Profile: Leah Koons

If you’ve been to an industry event lately, odds are you’ve heard Leah Koons even before you’ve seen her. As Fansly’s director of marketing, Koons helps steer one of the fastest-growing creator platforms on the web.

Women in Adult ·
opinion

What France's New Law Means for Age Verification Worldwide

When France implemented its Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law on April 11, it marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing global debate surrounding online safety and access to adult content.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

From Tariffs to Trends: Staying Resilient in a Shaky Online Adult Market

Whenever I check in with clients these days, I encounter the same concerns. For many, business has not quite bounced back after the typical post-holiday-season slowdown. Instead, consumers have been holding back due to the economic uncertainty around the Trump administration’s new tariffs and their impact on prices.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Optimizing Payment Strategies for High Ticket Sales

Payment processing for more expensive items, such as those exceeding $1,000 per order, can create unique challenges. For adult businesses, those challenges are magnified. Increased fraud risk, elevated chargeback ratios and heavier scrutiny from banks and processors are only the beginning.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Lexi Morin

Lexi Morin’s journey into the adult industry began with a Craigslist ad and a leap of faith. In 2011, fresh-faced and ambitious, she was scrolling through job ads on Craigslist when she stumbled upon a listing for an assistant makeup artist.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Still Rocking: The Hun Celebrates 30 Years in the Game

In the ever-changing landscape of adult entertainment, The Hun’s Yellow Pages stands out for its endurance. As one of the internet’s original fixtures, literally nearly as old as the web itself, The Hun has functioned as a living archive for online adult content, quietly maintaining its relevance with an interface that feels more nostalgic than flashy.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

Digital Desires: AI's Emerging Role in Adult Entertainment

The adult industry has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to embracing new technology. From the early days of dial-up internet and grainy video clips to today’s polished social media platforms and streaming services, our industry has never been afraid to innovate. But now, artificial intelligence (AI) is shaking things up in ways that are exciting but also daunting.

Steve Lightspeed ·
opinion

More Than Money: Why Donating Time Matters for Nonprofits

The adult industry faces constant legal battles, societal stigma and workplace challenges. Fortunately, a number of nonprofit organizations work tirelessly to protect the rights and well-being of adult performers, producers and industry workers. When folks in the industry think about supporting these groups, donating money is naturally the first solution that comes to mind.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Consent Guardrails: How to Protect Your Content Platform

The adult industry takes a strong and definite stance against the creation or publication of nonconsensual materials. Adult industry creators, producers, processors, banks and hosts all share a vested interest in ensuring that the recording and publication of sexually explicit content is supported by informed consent.

Lawrence G. Walters ·
opinion

Payment Systems: Facilitator vs. Gateway Explained

Understanding and selecting the right payment platform can be confusing for anyone. Recently, Segpay launched its payment gateway. Since then, we’ve received numerous questions about the difference between a payment facilitator and a payment gateway. Most merchants want to know which type of platform best meets their business needs.

Cathy Beardsley ·
Show More