This permits the distribution of content through other devices such as personal computers or portable media players, if they also implement the DTCP standards.
The standard was originally proposed in February 1998, when the five companies presented the system to the Copy Protection Technical Working Group (CPTWG), an ad hoc body organized to evaluate DRM technologies.
The five companies subsequently established the Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator (DTLA) in June 1998 to simplify licensing procedures and promote acceptance of the DTCP method by content providers, electronics manufacturers, and broadcast service providers.
They also released the 5C Digital Transmission Content Protection White Paper describing the system.
The paper specifies Hitachi's M6 cipher as the baseline encryption system, which was already in widespread use in the Japanese cable industry.