sdMi

The Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) was a cross-industry effort launched in 1998 by major record labels and consumer electronics manufacturers to develop a global standard for secure digital music distribution and playback. The aim was to enable legitimate use of digital music while preventing unauthorized copying and redistribution across devices and networks.

SDMI proposed an end-to-end system based on three main components: encryption to protect files, digital watermarking to identify copies and track distribution, and a set of interoperable devices and software capable of enforcing usage restrictions. The goal was to balance consumer rights with copyright protection in a widely compatible format.

To evaluate the approach, SDMI organized public testing, including the SDMI Challenge, inviting researchers and enthusiasts to attempt to defeat or bypass the protections. The tests drew attention but were criticized for limited transparency and contested results, with participants reporting mixed successes in defeating the protections and watermarking.

By the early 2000s the initiative was effectively abandoned and did not yield a universally adopted standard. Nevertheless, SDMI influenced later work in digital rights management and watermarking research and remains a reference point in debates over the feasibility and design of protected digital media ecosystems.