Adobe Supports Flash DRM

LOS ANGELES – In an effort to fight piracy and unauthorized content distribution, Adobe has included Digital Rights Management (DRM) support in the latest versions of its Flash Player and Flash Media Server software.

Flash Video (FLV) has become increasingly popular lately due to its high quality and reasonable file sizes and is in widespread use on social networking sites such as YouTube and its adult equivalents.

According to the Adobe website, which boasts more than 800 million installations of the software, "Flash Player is the high-performance, lightweight, highly expressive client runtime that delivers powerful and consistent user experiences across major operating systems, browsers, mobile phones, and devices."

While many operators may welcome the ability to protect their content from unauthorized distribution, or "sharing," if doing so is hassle-free for legitimate users; the DRM options for those using Flash video have been limited until now.

The Adobe DRM protocol enables encrypted communication between the Flash player and server that protects the video files, and can even prevent them from playing back on non-Adobe players.

Not everyone is pleased, however, with the level of content access control that the new protection scheme allows.

"We imagine that Adobe has no illusions that this will stop copyright infringement – any more than dozens of other DRM systems have done so," Blogger Seth Schoen posted on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's website. "But the introduction of encryption does give Adobe and its customers a powerful new legal weapon against competitors and ordinary users through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)."

That weapon, Schoen fears, will be turned against the "remix culture" – youth that make their own versions and compilations of other people's videos – among other users that the EFF sees as making "fair use" of copyrighted materials.

While the battle between publisher's needs and consumer's desires will play out over the issue of DRM and its applications, Flash Video content providers now have the option of enhancing their protection from pirates and file-sharers – but that enhanced protection will come at a price, as Adobe's DRM requires its $4,000+ Flash Media Server software.

But is it worth it?

"DRM doesn't move additional product. DRM is grief for honest end-users," Schoen said. "And there's no reason to imagine that new DRM systems will stop copyright infringement any more effectively than previous systems.

Related:  

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 News

Eroutique Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Eroutique has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Update: Pornhub Will Not Block Ohio, Despite AV Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo will not block access to its websites in Ohio, despite new state age verification rules that came into effect Sept. 30.

Pineapple Support, Pornhub to Host 'ADHD-Friendly' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Pornhub are hosting a free online support group for performers with ADHD.

Judge Dismisses Some Claims in 'Children of Pornhub' Trafficking Suit

A United States district judge on Friday dismissed some but not all claims against Aylo in a long-running case involving CSAM allegations featured in the influential 2020 New York Times article “The Children of Pornhub.”

FSC Sets Key Dates, Qualifiers for December Board of Directors Election

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) today announced key dates and qualifiers for its upcoming Board of Directors election.

RedGIFs Launches New 'Studio' Creator Platform

RedGIFs has launched its new Studio creator platform.

Arcom to Expand AV Enforcement to Smaller Adult Sites

The president of French media regulator Arcom revealed on Thursday that the agency plans to escalate its enforcement of age verification rules to include smaller adult sites, starting in late 2025 or early 2026.

AEBN Publishes Report on MILF, Cougar Trends

AEBN has published a report on MILF and Cougar categories from its straight theaters.

Pornhub to Shut Down Access in Arizona Over Age Verification

Aylo will geoblock Pornhub across Arizona starting Sept. 26, when the state’s age verification law, HB 2112, goes into effect.

Flirtback Embraces Crypto With Zcash Payments

Creator platform Flirtback has launched its Zcash (ZEC) crypto payment solution.

Show More