Daniel Harris

Daniel Harris is an entrepreneur and Internet content expert. He founded Kendra, an initiative to promote an open content marketplace for the Internet, in 1999.The aim is to drive interoperability between and within every link in the content value chain; to enable any device or application to browse, search and purchase content from any content catalogue, seamlessly. This gives increased revenue to content owners and a makes purchasing a more pleasurable experience for consumers.

Prior to setting up Kendra, Daniel co-founded Cerbernet in 1996 and served as CEO until late 1998. Cerbernet grew to become the UK's leading independent broadband Internet Service Provider and was acquired for over £4m by First Telecom in 2000. Daniel then worked for Atlantic Telecom as their Content Delivery Adviser until early 2001.

In 1994 Daniel co-founded Cerberus - Cerberus Digital Jukebox was the first system for copyright protected Internet-based music distribution. Drawing on video broadcast experience, he specified MPEG compression, encryption and distribution technologies for the CDJ. This went on to influence a whole generation of online music stores.

Daniel is a keen environmentalist. He is CEO and owner of Freewheelers - the international lift share website, matching passengers to car drivers to reduce journey costs and pollution. Daniel studied art and design at London's Camberwell College.

Synopsis

Kendra Initiative: Building An Open Distributed Marketplace For Digital Media

The consumer's dream is coming - one way or another - to a device or desktop application near you. The vision is of convenient and ubiquitous access to the world's content catalogues via the gateway of your choice - where rights technologies, formats and payment systems are transparent to the pleasurable consumption experience. Where consumers can purchase whatever, whenever and wherever they want and listen to or view the content they have on the device or application of their choice.

Currently, the content industry seems uncomfortably stuck between pirates and the "centralised portal gang" (see iTunes, Google, etc). Could an open, level and distributed marketplace for digital media be the answer to all their prayers? Will owners and distributors of content (from corporate to bedroom) embrace the new world of the open marketplace and take back control of their content? Could the technology community and W3C help build this open marketplace? Could the media industry help roll out the semantic web? Could Kendra Initiative provide an independent vehicle to help drive both goals forward?

Daniel will discuss the current problems in the media industry; the solutions that need to be put in place; and the vision of an open marketplace for digital media. You'll also hear about the system's progress: prototype development and media industry involvement in current trials.