A communiqué from Renato Iannella (IPR Systems Pty Ltd) reports on the release of the Open Digital Rights Language Version 1.0 and the submission of this XML-based DRM specification to MPEG in response to its Call for Proposals for a Rights Data Dictionary and Rights Expression Language for the MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework. ODRL Version 1.0 has been co-submitted to MPEG as a candidate technology by IPR Systems, Nokia, and Real Networks; the ODRL MPEG submission is also supported by IBM, Adobe, Panasonic, MarkAny, Simpsons Solicitors, OzAuthors, Pipers, ARPA, Vienna University, and Information Management Australia. In ODRL 1.0, Nokia's Mobile Rights Voucher (MRV) and Real Networks' Extensible Media Commerce Language (XMCL) have been merged into the Open Digital Rights Language. The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) is a working group of ISO/IEC (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11), charged with the development of standards for coded representation of digital audio and video. The Open Digital Rights Language provides the semantics for DRM expressions in open and trusted environments whilst being agnostic to mechanisms to achieve the secure architectures. Section 4 of the ODRL specification presents the XML syntax, illustrated through a series of scenarios covering different content sectors (ebooks, video, education). The formal notation is provided in normative appendices: Appendix A supplies the XML schema for the ODRL Expression Language elements and markup constructs; Appendix B supplies the XML Schema for the Data Dictionary elements.

ODRL Web site description: "The Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) provides the semantics for a Digital Rights Management expression language and data dictionary pertaining to all forms of digtial content. The ODRL is a vocabulary for the expression of terms and conditions over digital content including permissions, constraints, obligations, conditions, and agreements with rights holders. The ODRL is positioned to be extended by different industry sectors (e.g., ebooks, music, audio, mobile, software) and to be a core interoperability language and has no license requirements. ODRL is available in the spirit of 'open source' software. The ODRL Initiative Supporters believe in the philosophy of an open standard for Rights Languages and the promotion of such proposals to formal standards bodies and wide acceptance across the DRM communities."

According to Renato Iannella, "significant enhancements have been included in the Version 1.0 ODRL release to meet the requirements outlined by MPEG and other stakeholders."

ODRL MPEG Submission: On July 20, 2001 MPEG issued a 'Call for Proposals for a Rights Data Dictionary and Rights Description Language.' Excerpt: "MPEG has identified the need for a Rights Expression Language and a Rights Data Dictionary in the context of three of its standards: (1) MPEG-4, in the efforts to create more interoperable IPMP; (2) MPEG-7, to describe, as a part of content descriptions, the conditions to access content, and; (3) MPEG-21, to achieve the goal of expressing rights for all Users of MPEG-21's so-called 'Digital Items'. Technology proposals (due November 21, 2001) are to be evaluated during the December MPEG meeting in Pattaya, Thailand. The REL and RDD will be the 5th and 6th part of MPEG-21."

Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) Submission to the MPEG-21 CfP for a RDD-REL. 9 pages. [Edited] by Renato Iannella. Submitted by IPR Systems, Nokia, and Real Networks to MPEG (International Organisation for Standardization/Organisation Internationale Normalisation. ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11. Coding Of Moving Pictures and Audio.). Document Reference: ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11 M7598. For evaluation at the MPEG Meeting in December 2001, Pattaya, Thailand. "This document outlines the response from the submitting organisations (IPR Systems and Nokia) to the MPEG Call for Requirements (CfR) for a 'Rights Data Dictionary and a Rights Expression Language' (RDD-REL) [N4335]. The submission is based on extensive research, development, and implementation experience with digital rights management systems by the submitting organisations. Nokia's Mobile Rights Voucher (MRV) and Real Network's Extensible Media Commerce Language (XMCL) have been merged into IPR System's Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL). The submitting organisations are confident the resultant submission meets and exceeds the expectations of the CfP and is committed to working with MPEG-21 in developing the RDD-REL international standard. Other supporters of the ODRL submission include IBM, Adobe, Panasonic, MarkAny, Simpsons Solicitors, OzAuthors, Pipers, ARPA, Vienna University, and Information Management Australia." In addition to the five normative parts, the submission contains a directory with ODRL Examples and other documentation for the XML schemas presented in the (normative) appendices of the version 1.0 ODRL specification.

[November 21, 2001] URLs for ODRL Version 1.0 specification and MPEG submission:

• ODRL Specification Version 1.0 (PDF). Date: 2001-11-21. Edited by Renato Iannella (IPR Systems Pty Ltd). 71 pages. [cache]
• ODRL Specification Version 1.0 (HTML)
• ODRL 1.0 Expression Language XML Schema
• ODRL 1.0 Expression Language documentation
• ODRL 1.0 Data Dictionary XML Schema
• ODRL 1.0 Data Dictionary XML Schema documentation
• Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) Submission to the MPEG-21 CfP for a RDD-REL
• ODRL Version 1.0 MPEG submission package (.ZIP)
• ODRL MPEG submission registration form