Sony's PS4 DRM plans detailed in January 2013 patent filing?

In January of this year Sony filed for a patent for disc based DRM to control used game sales. No policies are detailed but a rough outline of the technology was given and Sony's stance on enforcement.

• Ownership of game is tied to users profile, interesting to note they do not specify their PSN ID. Just "user's account on the console". The disc itself stores this information, knowing what user is authorized to use it then checking with the console to see if everything matches.
• The disc is embedded with near field communication tags. The tags lock the disc to the user account.
• The NFC tag communicates directly to the console itself. No need of a server was mentioned as well as Sony eluding to the fact internet based checks simply don't work because not everyone takes their console online.
• The system is designed to be as lenient as Sony wants it to be. The NFC tag can store data for the disc to act as a trial version and allow for multiple users. The possibility of curbing used sales by limiting the number of times a game can be resold is briefly mentioned.

Sony says the technology is to control used sales but a used game market cannot be eliminated entirely. Also goes on to say requiring any sort of password (I guess they mean the equivalent to a CD Key) is impractical. And as mentioned earlier Sony says that internet verification does not work because not everyone has or goes online and there would be no way to control them if that was the case.

Source http://www.ibtimes.com/sony-files-patent-curb-access-used-video-games-1005876

If this is what is used it sounds like it keeps with the goals of Xbox Ones near draconian restrictions but it does it in a high tech fashion while leaving the door open for a more user friendly more lenient experience. Also entirely circumventing the internet is a pretty big deal. A lot goes unsaid here, Sony only expresses a few vague attitudes towards the issue and only how the technology works. There is no definitive policy on how this will be used in practice or how it addresses used sales, sharing with friends, etc. Hopefully Sony is watching the public opinion on what Microsoft is doing and acts accordingly. These NFC chips could accomplish the same ends but in a totally different less intrusive way.

*Edit sorry don't know why link wouldn't work just inserted as text for those interested.

ID tagged weapons to ID tagged soldiers to ID tagged video games. Mother fucking Kojima called it.

@the_laughing_man: Video games have changed...

I could be down for this. Seems way less restrictive or at the very least at least you don't NEED the internet. I wonder however if there is a way to deactivate content from your profile like you can with the PS3 if they do that they IMO Sony has figured it out. Because that puts YOU in control or at least seems like it.

But it still means no lending or renting doesnt it?

I might be stupid but how is that different then what MS is doing?

@the_laughing_man: I guess that depends on the very specifics of these things. I mean technically they could allow the console to write to the NFC chip and deactivate the chip from your account essentially freeing up that disc again. If they will do that or not is another thing.

It more or less seems its the exact same thing. I kinda wanna say that MS and SONY both knew what the other was going and molded their own thing. I do not think publishers could be assed to build in super different DRM things for two different systems.

@the_laughing_man: But its not... if the authentication for the sony stuff happens locally via an NFC chip embedded in the blu-ray disc then you don't need the internet to tie games to a console. Which means offline games on PS4 if this NFC rumor thing is true.

I am not talking about the online thing. I mean about giving the game to a friend and all that stuff people are up in arms about.

If this is being used with the ps4, then it would likely be up to publishers how many accounts the disc could be tied to.

@the_laughing_man: Well, obviously we don't know specifics just yet.

It looks like both Sony and MS are giving all that to the publishers to decide I guess.

they could have patented that for many reasons - to deny MS the ability to use that type of system (without licensing the tech from Sony), to throw out some misdirection to their competitors, or just to lock it up in case they want to use it in the future. It does sound like they will have some sort of system to kill used games and loaning games though. The fact that they haven't said otherwise is enough proof at this point.

Always nice to see this get brought back up. It's surprising how few people are aware of this patent.

It'll be interesting to see how all of this shakes out but it is becoming increasingly grim.

So...Kojima called it.

It's pretty obvious that in order to unlock a locked disc's DRM, you'll need to stand up, throw your arms up, and yell, "McDonalds!"

But I don't see how this makes any tangible difference for the things most people are complaining about for Xbone, in order to make any use of deactivating and authenticating and all that you would still need to connect to the internet to verify all the NFC data. I mean if you sell 10 games on craigslist or something (pretty common practice right now) and you don't put every single one in your system and click the hypothetical deactivate button then there would be no way to play the disc on another console (as the proper owner) without connecting to the internet to update the changes in ownership.

Oh also NFC stuff is super easy to hack, it's why these new fast tap credit and bank cards are a disaster already, with no computer (like a phone) behind an NFC chip anything that comes close can read/alter the data fairly easily. Which would leave a lot of room for piracy, hacking, etc.

PS Hypothetically, cause you know, rumours and such.