Digital Rights Management
Definition
DRM system: A system of Information Technology components and services which strives to distribute and control content and its rights. This operates in an environment driven by law, policies and business models. (http://camorra.org/swann/2007/07/11/daniels-drm-dilemma/)
Description
From the Wikipedia article [1]
"Digital rights management (DRM) is the umbrella term referring to any of several technologies used to enforce pre-defined policies controlling access to software, music, movies, or other digital data. In more technical terms, DRM handles the description, layering, analysis, valuation, trading and monitoring of the rights held over a digital work. In the widest possible sense, the term refers to any such management.
The term is often confused with copy protection and technical protection measures (TPM). These two terms refer to technologies that control and/or restrict the use and access of digital media content on electronic devices with such technologies installed. There are technical measures that could be used not to restrict use or access, such as to monitor use in order to record rights of a content consumer, DRM critics argue that the phrase "digital rights management" is a misnomer and the term digital restrictions management is a more accurate characterization of the functionality of DRM systems. Some digital media content publishers claim DRM technologies are necessary to prevent revenue loss due to illegal duplication of their copyrighted works. However, others argue that transferring control of the use of media from consumers to a consolidated media industry will lead to loss of existing user rights and stifle innovation in software and cultural productions."
Discussion
DRM cannot create new economic value
"It's the non-scarce products, the recipes and the ideas, that helps expand the value of limited resources, the ingredients. You expand value by creating new non-scarce goods that make scarce goods more valuable -- and you can keep on doing so, indefinitely. Successful new business models are about creating those non-scarce goods and helping them increase value. Any new business model must be based around increasing the overall pie. It's about recognizing that creating value isn't about shifting around pieces of a limited economic pie -- but making the overall pie bigger.
DRM is fundamentally opposed to this concept. It is not increasing value for the consumer in any way, but about limiting it. It takes the non-scarce goods, the very thing that helps increase value, and constrains them. Those non-scarce goods are what increase the pie and open up new opportunities for those who know where to capture the monetary rewards of that value (within other limited resources). DRM, on the other hand, holds back that value and prevents it from being realized. It shrinks the pie -- and no successful business models come out of providing less value and shrinking the overall pie. Fundamentally, DRM cannot create a successful new business model. It can only contain one." (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070301/005837.shtml)
More Information
DRM Watch [2] monitors developments in the field.
Read Cory Doctorow on why DRM's are bad
Very good overview article, with some pessimistic assessments and updated until the launch of VISTA, at http://polishlinux.org/gnu/drm-vista-and-your-rights/
The [Electronic Frontier Foundation] maintains a list of DRM Free Music: emusic, Audio Lunchbox, Bleep, Live Downloads, Magnatune, Garageband, Archive.org/Audio, Calabash Music, MP3Tunes
See our entries on DRM Interoperability and Trusted Computing