Yes, you can protect your content in a number of ways. The easiest, but in a way most costly, is to use a DRM enabled host like Bummer.
http://www.bummerhosting.com/order_drm.htm
Like Patrick says, most DRM schemes are eventually beaten, but the average person isn't going to know or even care about how to do this.

I agree with DSE 100% that the average consumer doesnt care. But all it takes is one person to want it bad enough and the cats out of the bag. My fear with DRM is that it truly gives content owners that false sense of security and looking at Bummer's pricing schemes, thats expensive after all the account set up and encoding and DRMing to end up having it cracked again and again.

But I guess if DRM can prevent even the littlelest loss of sales then it is a wiser investment.

The simplest thing to do which will prevent casual downloading is to use a WVX meta file to point to the WMV file. This keeps the user from simply right-clicking and downloading the file. Here is the main Microsoft page that describes this:

Streaming from a Web Server

This doesn't stop a determined user from copying the content, but it WILL stop casual copying.

John is right, however, then you FORCE your user to stream and have to be connected to the internet in order to view it thus limiting a users ability to seek or jump to chapter points. Not to mention, if you are offering higher quality than most websites (768k or higher) you effectively cut off a good population of users that cannot meet the streaming requirements.

Heres the question you need to ask yourself. Do you honestly feel like
1:) Your content is worth the cost and inconvience it will take to DRM it?
2) If so, do you think you will lose at minimum the monehtly costs it will take to offer licenses for your content?
3) Are you concerned that someone will download your content and convert it to a unprotected consumable format costing you more sales not including the costs to DRM it?

If yes to any and all, then look into it. But dont be surprised to see it pop up out there on the web. Sadly, there is NO RECOURSE from these companies that offer DRM if your content is compromised. By that I mean, you pay your monthly charges and if your content is cracked, then not only are you out DRM money but ALSO potential sales.

If its a wmv file, not a whole lot going to be done with it anyway,, but put a watermark on your stuff, a bug with your logo, maybe move it around a bit and there will be no doubt who made the video,, and its free !!

Simple idea here. Make the web version at some silly AR and oddball frame rate. To really screw up casual copiers include something that induces a serious case of line twitter etc.
It'll still look fine played back on a PC but copy it to a 50i/60i DVD and play it back on a TV and it'll look horrid. I've never tried this so I'll have to leave it to someone else to experiment.
Bob.

If you are charging for it, set your price accordingly. Either set it low enough to where its easier to buy it than waste time downloading it or charge a higher price like most companies do to comepensate for inevitable piracy.

SOT: I got an email from someone on the forum claiming that I am anti-DRM which is wrong. I am all for it IF it works and doesnt hamper the users/customers experience. To this date, no DRM other than CSS for DVDs, has worked and even CSS was broken. I just dont ever seeing any company being smarter than those that crack their protection schemes weeks after release.

Thanks for your ideas! I'll probably go with the "watermark" idea. The DRM way is not best for me because I'm not charging people to watch the video. Just the idea of my friend making her own copy kind of frustrated me...since I was handing out free copies anyway. I don't know..just call me wierd.

Thanks again
Jeremiah

You're weird.

When posting it, create a transparent layer over the embeded video on the web page, this will keep them from right-clicking on it for a save option. The same will work for pictures (still does not protect from print screen).