Using Site Protection Software To Manage Media Distribution
Managing affiliate distributions for video or PDF rights can seem like a complex task until one realizes how simple it can be by using an iFrame with
site protection software. For example, in a scenario where you are providing video or documents with pay per view billing to affiliates who are paying for the rights to display your media on their web site, by ensuring that they can only access your media via an iFrame on your web site, you can monitor usage and also ensure that the sites displaying that content are an affiliate.
What is the significance of an iFrame?
If the member site links directly to your media, ie: video, images or documents, there is no way that you can prevent access except by restricting access by IP address. Unfortunately that means identifying all of the individual users by IP address which is unknown. It doesn't make any difference which web page that image was displayed on because the image gets downloaded by the individual user to their computer. That's right, even when viewing online, media still gets downloaded to the user's computer. The only difference is that it is saved to browser cache instead of a user chosen location.
But if the media is locked to a web page on your web site, you immediately have much more control and the means of doing whatever you want such as user identification and logging. Then the only access to that media will be by requesting that page which can be done by using an iFrame on the member's web page.
Locking media to a web page
Domain lock was invented by ArtistScope in 1998 as a means to prevent hot linking to images. By encrypting media and using the web site as the encryption key one can ensure that the media is displayed on the intended web site only. Domain lock is used in CopySafe video, image and PDF security software when encrypting for display on web pages. Anyone directly linking to such encrypted media will not be able to view it or display it on another web page.
Displaying embedded media
To display media such as images, video or PDF on web pages requires the use of HTML for "embedding" the media on the page. However a common problem with most embedded viewers is that they enable the user to escape the web page by viewing fullscreen. Also, embedded media players also provide options for downloading, saving and copying the media. So the use of media players available in most CMS like WordPress are useless for restricting access to media that you don't want to see published elsewhere without your authorization. However the media players available with CopySafe solutions are properly designed to prevent that nonsense. The media cannot be displayed outside of the embedded player, and being domain locked, cannot be displayed on any other web page.
Progress so far
So far we have covered the need for an iFrame and the need for domain locking media. Next thing to consider is copy protection of the media while on display on the web page. Do you need copy protection and how effective should that copy protection be? While password protection and watermarking are considered by some as effective copy protection, it does not prevent screen recording and it does not prevent watermarks from being edited later to add an overlay to hide your watermark. However there are solutions that will prevent PrintScreen and screen recording. The CopySafe solutions for image, video and PDF security software will prevent screen recording and they are the only copy protection software that can be used on web pages today.
Managing and tracking affiliate usage
If you are using a CMS like WordPress you may be now looking for a WordPress plugin to use for the iFrame page, but that will be a waste of time because there is nothing from WordPress that you need for this. Regardless of programming language, it should be simple task to add some code that logs usage, ensures that the referring web site is using the iFrame according to your requirements, and provides statistic reports for billing, etc.
If you don't have programming skills yourself, a freelancer can be hired most economically or ArtistScope can create something customized to your requirements.
Which site protection software to use?
If you want the ultimate solution for the prevention of all copy, then be prepared to forget users with mobile phones because they use operating systems that are unstable and limited to simple apps that cannot effectively stop anything. However for Windows users such as those in your institutional or corporate network, you can use the most secure video and
PDF security software available today. CopySafe PDF and CopySafe Video will provide copy protection and the domain locking that you need for your iFrame. Or you can use the ArtistScope Site Protection System (ASPS) to protect all media include text and data.
Author: William Kent
Date: 29th October 2019
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