This post is an unconvincing case for a position I agree with. It's reasonable for Netflix to want to protect their inventory, but I don't think the Web is rea

This post is an unconvincing case for a position I agree with. It's reasonable for Netflix to want to protect their inventory, but I don't think the Web is ready for a content protection and monetization scheme. Before that can happen, it needs a P2P infrastructure that can handle low-friction commerce. Without that, it's stuck in the current model of gatekeeper services, which is what Netflix is, and that makes it hard for smaller players to get involved. DRM worries me because it could enforce the current situation rather than develop it. Getting P2P commerce right is hard, but I'd like a solution that could enforce small ad-hoc contracts through trust systems. This is basically, "Gain trust for following accepted terms, lose trust for breaking them." For instance, a music vendor might request that I pay five dollars after download a few albums. If I don't, they'll signal to their circle of music-vendor peers that I'm a welcher, and knock down my trust rating in that circle. If I do pay, however, that vendor would signal that I can be trusted, and that might result in discounts or access to higher-value services. Digital goods contracts would then be trust exchanges, and might even influence the topography of the P2P network, as a trusted buyer or seller would expand their available network through good behavior. It's still a few steps away, but there's going to be a lot more opportunity for it as WebRTC stabilizes.