I want to recommend a study on rights expression languages recently
completed by Karen Coyle for the Library of Congress.  It was
commissioned
by the Library's Network Development and MARC Standards Office to help
establish a methodology for examining emerging rights languages -- as a
contribution to the dialog on issues and tools for controlling digital
rights.  The study compares four major languages - MPEG21/5, ODRL,
Creative
Commons, and METSRights - plus a few others, and establishes a taxonomy
of
characteristics to consider when selecting a language for a particular
application.  The report is also useful to clarify thinking on
directions
that need to be pursued in new rights expression language developments
over
the next few years.  Rights management in the digital arena is a fast
moving target, as is exemplified by the recent changes in ownership of
XrML.  

Coyle's report is accessible from the following site:
www.loc.gov/standards.


Sally McCallum 

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Sally H. McCallum, Chief, Network Development and 
MARC Standards Office, Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540   USA
[log in to unmask]    (Fax: 1-202-707 0115) (Voice: 1-202-707 5119)
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