Google Blocks Rooted Android Devices From Renting Movies

[CrimsonShade]

For many Android enthusiasts, having total control is part of the platform’s attraction. But Google is imposing some annoying new restrictions for those who want to be superusers on their own phones.

Google is blocking access to its new Android Market movie rental service for those using rooted Android devices. If you try to access a movie from the Market using a rooted device, you’ll receive a “failure to fetch license” error message.

Obtaining root access to an Android device gives you full administrative privileges, letting you make changes that wouldn’t otherwise be possible running the stock operating system out of the box. That means anything from installing a custom version of your operating system to deleting the prebundled bloatware that came with your device. A minority of Android phone owners do this, but for those who do, the flexibility and control is an important feature and, for some, a right.

On the help menu of the official Android Market, Google gives a vague reason for the holdup, stating that “rooted devices are currently unsupported due to requirements related to copyright protection.”

Ostensibly, the holdup is coming from the end of the movie studios.

“Rooted devices can probably work around the DRM system that they have set up,” says Gartner analyst Phillip Redman. DRM (Digital Rights Management) systems control the uses of digital content — like movies or music — that aren’t intended by the host of the content. It’s likely the studios are worried that if you’re using a rooted device, you could potentially run an app that would make copies of the movies you’re renting on the Android Market’s movie service.

This restriction isn’t unique to Android movie rentals. Netflix has been available for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad for months, yet the streaming video service hadn’t extended to Android until this month. And even now, Netflix is currently available on only five specific Android phone models. The reasoning, according to Netflix, has been because of protestations from movie studios.

“The same security issues that have led to piracy concerns on the Android platform have made it difficult for us to secure a common Digital Rights Management (DRM) system on these devices,” wrote Greg Peters of Netflix product development in a November blog post.

Google had no further comment on the issue.

(Source: Wired Magazine)