Interworking of rights expression languages for secure music distribution

Two main rights expression languages (RELs) exist to describe licenses governing the access to digital multimedia content: MPEG-21 REL and ODRL (open digital rights language). Both RELs are powerful and complex enough. The use of different RELs could divide the network commerce in two separate factions. We propose a way for interworking between them. They have many similarities that permit to translate expressions from one language into the other one. In the Distributed Multimedia Applications Group (DMAG) we are developing utilities that permit to translate licenses between both RELs. Furthermore, the DMAG has developed a set of applications to generate and check licenses in both RELs. This work first describes the current situation of the RELs. Then the ODRL and MPEG-21 REL are introduced. Later, the interworking between MPEG-21 REL and ODRL is exposed and the DMAG licenses generator and checker are described.