DRM in HTML5 is a victory for the open Web, not a defeat (Ars Technica)

Ars Technica arguesthat Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), a framework that will allow thedelivery of DRM-protected media through the browser, will be good for theweb. "Moreover, a case could be made that EME will make it easier for content distributors to experiment with-and perhaps eventually switch to-DRM-free distribution.Under the current model, whether it be DRM-capable browser plugins or DRM-capable apps, a content distributor such as Netflix has no reason to experiment with unprotected content. Users of the site's services are already using a DRM-capable platform, and they're unlikely to even notice if one or two videos (for example, one of the Netflix-produced broadcasts like House of Cards or the forthcoming Arrested Development episodes) are unprotected. It wouldn't make a difference to them."

The Free Software Foundation has adifferent take on EME. "We have been fighting EME since 2013, and we will not back off because the W3C presents weak guidance as a fig leaf for DRM-using companies to hide their disrespect for users' rights. Companies can impose DRM without the W3C; but we should make them do it on their own, so it is seen for what it is-a subversion of the Web's principles-rather than normalize it or give it endorsement."