Goal

The overall goal of INDICARE (The INformed DIalogue about Consumer Acceptability of DRM

Digital rights management

Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...

 Solutions in Europe) was to raise awareness, help to reconcile heterogeneous interests of multiple stakeholders, and to support the emergence of a common European position with regard to consumer and user issues of Digital Rights Management

Digital rights management

Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...

 (DRM) solutions.

The eContent Programme

INDICARE responded to the 3rd call, subline 3.3: Management of rights for digital content, of the eContent Programme of the European Commission

European Commission

The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

, DG Information Society. INDICARE, a so called Accompanying Measure, was initiated March 2004 and is scheduled for two years (Ref.: EDC - 53042 INDICARE / 28609). The eContent Programme has been replaced by eContentplus as of 9 March 2005.

Focus

INDICARE addresses problems pointed out in the eContent Work Programme 2003-2004: “There has been little attention to the consumer

Consumer

Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...

 side of managing rights. Questions remain open as to the level of consumer

Consumer

Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...

 acceptability of rights management solutions. Interface

User interface

The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...

 and functionality of systems, as well as policy issues linked to privacy

Privacy

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...

 and access to information should be the investigated. The consumer question also involves the easiness of access, the legitimate use of content and business models and the easiness of access for disabled persons” (p. 19). In addition to consumer issues, INDICARE addresses the user side, in particular concerns of creators and small and medium-sized information providers.

Approach

The INDICARE project establishes and maintains an informed dialogue about consumer

Consumer

Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...

and user issues of DRM. Informed dialogue means that discussions will be stimulated and informed by good quality input such as news information and profound analyses (see below). Part of the input will be derived from interdisciplinary in-depth research of the INDICARE partners as well as from knowledge of experts and stakeholders co-operating with INDICARE.

External links

• INDICARE website with all publications
• eContent Work Programme 2003-2004
• eContentplus

Project Consortium

• Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe, Germany (Project Initiator and Co-ordinator)
• Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Department of Measurement and Information Systems, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
• Berlecon Research GmbH, Berlin, Germany