Digital Rights Management (DRM)

Initially when recording of sounds began, piracy was unheard of.  Copying was expensive which means people never thought of it. People used to buy their own records and it was a common habit to exchange records too. Changes started with the invention of magnetic tapes. During this time people realized they could duplicate tapes. The problem became worse with the arrival of CDs which utilized the digital technology. The internet gave an upper hand in this since sharing became easier.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a technology that was invented to protect against unauthorized access to digital media. It is used by manufactures and producers in video and music industry to protect their work from piracy. Its aim was to establish copyright for an item, controlling distribution, and usage control. With advancement in technology, new ways of digital conversion encourage piracy. Digital media can be duplicated in multiple copies without compromising on their quality. Personal computers are becoming common in households, giving chance for media conversion by consumers.

             DRM works in different ways depending on the type of media and the restrictions imposed by the publisher. The earliest technology was that of the floppy disks which used the lotus 1-2-3 program. Recently there is the emergence of the macrovision’s SafeCast technology. The use of internet in Windows and office utilizes Microsoft Product Activation technology. In this technology the central server system grants permission to machines when they what to install or run a software. With the use of the internet, consumers can register with the company in order to be granted access. It also offers a back up mechanism which allows users without internet access to obtain keys through their mobile phones.

            The DVDs have a special mechanism known DivX which utilize phone technology. The user needs to acquire permission via the phone in order to view a program on the disc. This method raised issues among the consumers since each time they want to watch a movie or listen to a song they had to part with money. Worst still the publisher can be able to know each time a movie was watched.

            DRM encryption technology provides limiting access to only certain devices or persons to retrieve them. For this technology to function well it requires manufactures and producers to have licenses. The DVDs are the main examples of medium requiring encryption. Other forms of protection include the use of digital watermarks which are methods of labeling materials from a particular publisher or location. A watermark can be used by hardware and software to process and trace pirated material. Another method used to control unauthorized copying is by disabling systems that are trying to copy. A good example is the Audio CD copying systems.          

Despite the efforts of DRM technology, controversies have been reported leading to lawsuits. There are major problems on the copy right protection. Copy right holders seem to be going too far in protecting their content. They infringe on the consumers’ freedom of privacy when utilizing they products.