Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a system that restricts use of digital media, such as music, movies, ebooks and software, to only the rightful owner. It was designed to protect the interests of copyright holders by preventing copyright infringement. This system was developed as a response to the fact that digital media can be copied an unlimited number of times without any decrease in quality.
DRM focuses on technologies that verify the identify of potential users to make sure they are authorized to use the digital media. It also lays down the rules for sharing digital media. However, many DRM systems are designed so that even legitimate users have no control over the data; so for example, a person authorized to use an MP3 player might not be allowed to copy his digital music files to them.
Different types of DRM systems exist. Some require you to use a hardware dongle, a device that attaches to the digital media device you want to use, to access the data. Others use Internet licenses that are verified every time the data is accessed, while still others require users to enter personal information to access the data.
Legal Issues
Legal
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was introduced in order to prevent and penalize the use of tools or technologies that could bypass the DRM process. While it is easy to illegally copy copyrighted digital content by circumventing one of the DRM systems or by using a false license key belonging to a valid user, these actions can be prosecuted under DMCA.
References
- Digital Rights Management and Privacy
(Electronic Privacy Information Center) - Digital Rights Management (Wikipedia)
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