Windows Media Rights Manager 10 SDK

This documentation describes the Microsoft® Windows Media® Rights Manager 10 Software Development Kit (SDK). The Windows Media Rights Manager SDK is one of the main components of the Microsoft Windows Media SDK. Other components include the Microsoft Windows Media Services SDK, the Microsoft Windows Media Encoder SDK, the Microsoft Windows Media Format SDK, and the Microsoft Windows Media Player SDK.

This SDK is designed for application and Web developers who want to deliver digital media, such as songs and videos, through the Internet in a protected and secure manner. Windows Media Rights Manager SDK provides tools for protecting digital files so you can distribute them and maintain copyright protection. The solutions provided with Windows Media Rights Manager SDK are flexible enough to be easily adapted to your current business model.

Windows Media Rights Manager SDK is a powerful tool that provides the following benefits for protecting Windows Media files .

• Security. You can encrypt each Windows Media file, as well as require additional levels of security. For example, you can restrict playback to only those applications that have received a security upgrade , require a minimum security level for all players and portable devices, or issue and deny licenses based on a consumer's platform.

• Robust features. You can generate a complex set of rights for each Windows Media file, ranging from minimal control over playback to restrictions such as counted operations and expiration. You can also control how to issue licenses and when. For example, you can predeliver licenses to simplify the process for consumers.

  You can easily set up promotional offers. For example, you can distribute a song that is valid for one week. When you want to charge full price for the same song, you simply issue a different license when payment is made—you do not have to create and distribute a new version of the song. In addition, you do not have to ask consumers to download the same Windows Media file twice.

• Scalability. You have great control over setting up your digital rights management (DRM) system. If you have a large amount of Web activity, you can easily divide the different functions of the Windows Media Rights Manager SDK across any number of servers. If you are using a distributed retail model to protect, distribute, and license Windows Media files, you can easily divide these functions among different organizations, and track the source of each Windows Media file. In addition, because the Windows Media Rights Manager SDK uses COM objects, you can integrate the functions of Windows Media Rights Manager SDK into an existing system that uses your existing database.

To download the Windows Media Rights Manager 10 SDK, see the Windows Media Downloads page at the Microsoft Web site.

This documentation contains an overview, programming guide, and reference sections on the interfaces, functions, and methods exposed by the SDK. You are also encouraged to refer to the source code of the Microsoft Visual Basic® samples included with this SDK.

This documentation includes the following sections.

Section	Description
Quick Start	Lets you quickly set up and try out the Windows Media Rights Manager SDK, which is useful if you are new to Windows Media Rights Manager.
About Windows Media Rights Manager 10 SDK	Provides an overview of the Windows Media Rights Manager SDK and describes its basic concepts.
Programming Guide	Describes how you can protect and license Windows Media files, and deploy a digital rights management system.
Programming Reference	Provides reference information for the interfaces, functions, structures, enumeration types, and constants supported by the Windows Media Rights Manager SDK.
Glossary	Defines the terms used in the Windows Media Rights Manager SDK documentation.