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{{short description|Technology to control access to copyrighted works and prevent |
{{short description|Technology to control access to copyrighted works and prevent unauthorized copying}} | ||
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{{condense|date=January 2017}} | |||
{{More citations needed|date=September 2022}}{{use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}'''Digital rights management''' ('''DRM''') is the management of legal access to ]. Various tools or '''technological protection measures''' ('''TPM'''),{{refn|name=cbc}} such as ] technologies, can restrict the use of ] and ]ed works.<ref>{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0rVfRwcIPYgC&q=DRM+%22access+control+technology%22&pg=SA9-PA26|title = Computer Forensics: Investigating Network Intrusions and Cybercrime|publisher = ]|pages = 9–26|isbn = 978-1435483521|date = 16 September 2009}}</ref> DRM technologies govern the use, modification and distribution of copyrighted works (e.g. ], multimedia content) and of systems that enforce these policies within devices.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_32_e.asp |title=Fact Sheet: Digital Rights Management and have to do: Technical Protection Measures |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414002554/http://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_32_e.asp |archive-date=14 April 2016 |date=24 November 2006|website= Priv.gc.ca |access-date=29 July 2013}}</ref> DRM technologies<ref>{{Cite web |title=Digital rights management |url=https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-gb/help/highq/files-module/files-admin/drm.html |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=www.thomsonreuters.com |language=English}}</ref> include ]s<ref>{{cite web|title=Digital Rights Management Systems and Copy Protection Schemes|url=http://w2.eff.org/IP/DRM/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209160908/http://w2.eff.org/IP/DRM/|archive-date=9 February 2011|access-date=13 February 2011|publisher=eff.org}}</ref> and ].<ref>Kranich, Nancy. "Chap 1(pg.8)." The Information Commons. Creative Commons, 2004. Print.</ref> | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} | |||
'''Digital rights management''' ('''DRM''') tools or '''technological protection measures''' ('''TPM'''){{refn|name=cbc}} are a set of ] technologies for restricting the use of proprietary hardware and ]ed works.<ref name="act11">{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/?id=0rVfRwcIPYgC&pg=SA9-PA26&dq=DRM+%22access+control+technology%22#v=onepage&q=DRM%20%22access%20control%20technology%22&f=false|title = Computer Forensics: Investigating Network Intrusions and Cybercrime|publisher = ]|pages = 9–26|isbn = 978-1435483521|date = 16 September 2009}}</ref> DRM technologies try to control the use, modification, and distribution of copyrighted works (such as ] and multimedia content), as well as systems within devices that enforce these policies.<ref name="Fact Sheet">{{cite web|url= http://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_32_e.asp |title=Fact Sheet: Digital Rights Management and have to do: Technical Protection Measures |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414002554/http://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_32_e.asp |archive-date=14 April 2016 |date=24 November 2006|website= Priv.gc.ca |accessdate=29 July 2013}}</ref> | |||
Laws in many countries criminalize the circumvention of DRM, communication about such circumvention, and the creation and distribution of tools used for such circumvention. Such laws are part of the United States' ] (DMCA),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Public Law 105 – 304 – Digital Millennium Copyright Act|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-105publ304/html/PLAW-105publ304.htm|access-date=26 July 2015|website=U. S. Government Publishing Office|archive-date=16 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716140639/https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-105publ304/html/PLAW-105publ304.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ]'s ]<ref>{{Cite journal|date=22 June 2001|title=Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32001L0029&qid=1437963741051|journal=Official Journal of the European Union|access-date=26 July 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222085135/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32001L0029&qid=1437963741051|url-status=live}}</ref> – with the French ] an example of a member state of the European Union implementing that directive.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=3 August 2006|title=LOI n° 2006-961 du 1er août 2006 relative au droit d'auteur et aux droits voisins dans la société de l'information|url=http://legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000266350&dateTexte=&categorieLien=id|journal=Journal officiel de la République française|language=fr|access-date=26 July 2015|archive-date=29 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529175139/http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000266350&dateTexte=&categorieLien=id|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The use of digital rights management is not universally accepted. Proponents of DRM argue that it is necessary to prevent ] from being copied freely, just as physical locks are needed to prevent personal property from being stolen,<ref name="cbc">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2009/08/06/tech-digital-locks-drm-tpm-rights-management-protection-measures-copyright-copy-protection.html |title=The pros, cons, and future of DRM |quote=Digital locks – also known as digital rights management (DRM) technologies or technological protection measures (TPM) |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=7 August 2009|accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref> that it can help the copyright holder maintain ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artistscope.com/protection.asp|title=Images and the Internet}}</ref> and that it can ensure continued revenue streams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.streamingmedia.com/r/printerfriendly.asp?id=8306 |title=Making Money with Streaming Media |author=Christopher Levy |date=3 February 2003 |accessdate=28 August 2006 |publisher=streamingmedia.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514024614/http://www.streamingmedia.com/r/printerfriendly.asp?id=8306 |archivedate=14 May 2006}}</ref> Those opposed to DRM contend there is no evidence that DRM helps prevent copyright infringement, arguing instead that it serves only to inconvenience legitimate customers, and that DRM helps ] stifle innovation and competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/issues/drm |title=DRM|publisher=] |accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref> Furthermore, works can become permanently inaccessible if the DRM scheme changes or if the service is discontinued.<ref name="opensource1">{{cite web|url=http://opensource.com/life/11/11/drm-graveyard-brief-history-digital-rights-management-music|title=The DRM graveyard: A brief history of digital rights management in music|publisher=opensource.com |date=3 November 2011 |accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref> DRM can also restrict users from exercising their ] under the copyright law, such as backing up copies of CDs or DVDs (instead having to buy another copy, if it can still be purchased), lending materials out through a library, accessing works in the public domain, or using copyrighted materials for research and education under the ].<ref name="cbc" /> | |||
Copyright holders argue that DRM technologies are necessary to protect ], just as physical locks prevent ] from theft.<ref name="cbc">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/the-pros-cons-and-future-of-drm-1.785237 |title=The pros, cons, and future of DRM |quote=Digital locks – also known as digital rights management (DRM) technologies or technological protection measures (TPM) |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=7 August 2009 |access-date=7 January 2012 |archive-date=19 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819222032/http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2009/08/06/tech-digital-locks-drm-tpm-rights-management-protection-measures-copyright-copy-protection.html |url-status=live}}</ref> For examples, they can help the copyright holders for maintaining ]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artistscope.com/protection.asp|title=Images and the Internet|access-date=16 February 2009|archive-date=10 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710121521/http://www.artistscope.com/protection.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> and supporting licenses' modalities such as rentals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.streamingmedia.com/r/printerfriendly.asp?id=8306 |title=Making Money with Streaming Media |author=Christopher Levy |date=3 February 2003 |access-date=28 August 2006 |publisher=streamingmedia.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514024614/http://www.streamingmedia.com/r/printerfriendly.asp?id=8306 |archive-date=14 May 2006}}</ref> Industrial users (i.e. industries) have expanded the use of DRM technologies to various hardware products, such as ]'s ]s,<ref>{{cite web|last=Bode|first=Karl|date=3 March 2014|title=Keurig Will Use DRM in New Coffee Maker To Lock Out Refill Market|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140227/06521826371/keurig-will-use-drm-new-coffee-maker-to-lock-out-refill-market.shtml|access-date=3 May 2015|publisher=techdirt.com|archive-date=3 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503063944/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140227/06521826371/keurig-will-use-drm-new-coffee-maker-to-lock-out-refill-market.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Chris Welch|date=28 August 2014|title=Keurig's coffee brewer 'DRM' has already been defeated|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/28/6079711/keurig-coffee-pod-drm-has-been-defeated|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=8 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708011845/https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/28/6079711/keurig-coffee-pod-drm-has-been-defeated|url-status=live}}</ref> ]' ]s,<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216231732/http://boingboing.net/2015/12/14/philips-pushes-lightbulb-firmw.html |date=16 December 2015}} by ] on ] (14 December 2015)</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151217130712/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151214/07452133070/lightbulb-drm-philips-locks-purchasers-out-third-party-bulbs-with-firmware-update.shtml |date=17 December 2015}} on techdirt.com (14 December 2015)</ref> ] ],<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402044236/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070724/094533.shtml |date=2 April 2016}} on techdirt.com by Carlo Longino (25 July 2007)</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Ed Felten|date=26 July 2007|title=DRM for Chargers: Possibly Good for Users|url=https://freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/felten/drm-chargers-possibly-good-users/|publisher=freedom-to-tinker.com|quote=''Apple has filed a patent application on a technology for tethering rechargeable devices (like iPods) to particular chargers. The idea is that the device will only allow its batteries to be recharged if it is connected to an authorized charger. Whether this is good for consumers depends on how a device comes to be authorized. If "authorized" just means "sold or licensed by Apple" then consumers won't benefit – the only effect will be to give Apple control of the aftermarket for replacement chargers.''|access-date=20 March 2016|archive-date=1 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401220532/https://freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/felten/drm-chargers-possibly-good-users/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504142145/https://hackaday.com/2014/03/03/hacking-dell-laptop-charger-identification/ |date=4 May 2021}} on hackaday.com (3 March 2014)</ref> and ]'s ]s.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wiens|first=Kyle|date=21 April 2015|title=We Can't Let John Deere Destroy the Very Idea of Ownership|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/04/dmca-ownership-john-deere/|magazine=Wired|publisher=]|access-date=3 May 2015|archive-date=27 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127060843/https://www.wired.com/2015/04/dmca-ownership-john-deere/|url-status=live}}</ref> For instance, tractor companies try to prevent farmers from making ] via DRM.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sydell|first=Laura|date=17 August 2015|title=DIY Tractor Repair Runs Afoul of Copyright Law|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/08/17/432601480/diy-tractor-repair-runs-afoul-of-copyright-law|access-date=31 August 2015|publisher=npr.com|archive-date=14 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214322/https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/08/17/432601480/diy-tractor-repair-runs-afoul-of-copyright-law|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Newman |first=Lily Hay |title=A New Jailbreak for John Deere Tractors Rides the Right-to-Repair Wave |url=https://www.wired.com/story/john-deere-tractor-jailbreak-defcon-2022/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> | |||
Worldwide, many laws have been created which criminalize the circumvention of DRM, communication about such circumvention, and the creation and distribution of tools used for such circumvention. Such laws are part of the United States' ],<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-105publ304/html/PLAW-105publ304.htm|title = Public Law 105 – 304 – Digital Millennium Copyright Act|date = |accessdate = 26 July 2015|website = U. S. Government Publishing Office|publisher = U. S. Government Publishing Office|last = |first = }}</ref> and the ]'s ],<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32001L0029&qid=1437963741051|title = Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society|last = |first = |date = 22 June 2001|journal = Official Journal of the European Union|doi = |pmid = |access-date = 26 July 2015}}</ref> (the French ] is an example of a member state of the European Union ("EU") implementing the directive).<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000266350&dateTexte=&categorieLien=id|title = LOI n° 2006-961 du 1er août 2006 relative au droit d'auteur et aux droits voisins dans la société de l'information |last = |first = |date = 3 August 2006|journal = Journal officiel de la République française|doi = |pmid = |accessdate = 26 July 2015 |language=fr}}</ref> | |||
DRM is controversial. There is an absence of evidence about the DRM capability in preventing ], some complaints by legitimate customers for caused inconveniences, and a suspicion of stifling innovation and competition.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eff.org/issues/drm |title=DRM |publisher=] |access-date=7 January 2012 |archive-date=5 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705015859/https://www.eff.org/issues/drm |url-status=live}}</ref> Furthermore, works can become permanently inaccessible if the DRM scheme changes or if a required service is discontinued.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://opensource.com/life/11/11/drm-graveyard-brief-history-digital-rights-management-music|title=The DRM graveyard: A brief history of digital rights management in music|publisher=opensource.com|date=3 November 2011|access-date=7 January 2012|archive-date=6 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606125646/http://opensource.com/life/11/11/drm-graveyard-brief-history-digital-rights-management-music|url-status=live}}</ref> DRM technologies have been criticized for restricting individuals from copying or using the content legally, such as by ] or by making backup copies. DRM is in common use by the ] (''e.g.'', audio and video publishers).<ref>{{cite web |date=11 November 2009 |title=QuickPlay Distributes TV Over Mobile Wi-Fi |url=http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/117244/quickplay-distributes-tv-over-mobile-wi-fi.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109012043/http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/117244/quickplay-distributes-tv-over-mobile-wi-fi.html |archive-date=9 January 2015 |access-date=28 December 2014 |publisher=MediaDaily News}}</ref> Many online stores such as OverDrive use DRM technologies, as do cable and satellite service operators. Apple removed DRM technology from ] around 2009.<ref>{{cite news |author=Bobbie Johnson, San Francisco |date=6 January 2009 |title=Apple drops copy protection from iTunes |newspaper=Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jan/06/apple-drops-itunes-copy-protection |url-status=live |access-date=6 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204034137/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jan/06/apple-drops-itunes-copy-protection |archive-date=4 February 2014}}</ref> Typical DRM also prevents lending materials out through a library, or accessing works in the ].<ref name="cbc" /> | |||
{{TOC limit}} | |||
==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
The rise of digital media and analog-to-digital conversion technologies has |
The rise of digital media and analog-to-digital conversion technologies has increased the concerns of copyright-owners, particularly within the music and video industries. While ] media inevitably lose quality with each ] and during normal use, digital media files may be duplicated without limit with no degradation. Digital devices make it convenient for consumers to convert (]) media originally in a physical, analog or broadcast form into a digital form for portability or later use. Combined with the ] and ] tools, made unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content (]) much easier. | ||
==History== | |||
The rise of ]s as household appliances has made it convenient for consumers to convert media (which may or may not be copyrighted) originally in a physical, analog or broadcast form into a universal, digital form (this process is called ]) for portability or ]. This, combined with the ] and popular ] tools, has made ] (also called ]) much easier. | |||
DRM became a major concern with the growth of the Internet in the 1990s, as piracy crushed CD sales and online video became popular. It peaked in the early 2000s as various countries attempted to respond with legislation and regulations and dissipated in the 2010s as ] and ] largely replaced piracy and content providers elaborated next-generation business models. | |||
===Early efforts=== | |||
In 1983, a very early implementation of Digital Rights Management (DRM) was the Software Service System (SSS) devised by the Japanese engineer Ryuichi Moriya. | |||
In 1983, the Software Service System (SSS) devised by the Japanese engineer Ryuichi Moriya was the first example of DRM technology. It was subsequently refined under the name ]. The SSS was based on encryption, with specialized hardware that controlled decryption and enabled payments to be sent to the copyright holder. The underlying principle was that the physical distribution of encrypted digital products should be completely unrestricted and that users of those products would be encouraged to do so.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216045220/https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=19850501&CC=JP&NR=60077218A&KC=A |date=16 February 2022}} (Publication #60-077218), ''Software Control System'', Japan Patent Office, 5 October 1983, Ryoichi Mori, applicant. Reported by ].</ref> | |||
An early DRM protection method for computer and ] games was when the game would pause and prompt the player to look up a certain page in a booklet or manual that came with the game; if the player lacked access to the material, they would not be able to continue. | |||
Common DRM techniques include restrictive ]s: The access to digital materials, copyright and public domain is restricted to consumers as a condition of entering a website or when downloading software.<ref>{{cite web|title=Digital Rights Management Systems and Copy Protection Schemes|url=http://w2.eff.org/IP/DRM/|publisher=eff.org|access-date=13 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209160908/http://w2.eff.org/IP/DRM/|archive-date=9 February 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
], scrambling of expressive material and embedding of a tag, which is designed to control access and reproduction of information, including backup copies for personal use.<ref>Kranich, Nancy. "Chap 1(pg.8)." The Information Commons. Creative Commons, 2004. Print.</ref> | |||
An early example of a DRM system is the ] (CSS) employed by the ] on ] movies. CSS uses an ] to encrypt content on the DVD disc. Manufacturers of DVD players must license this technology and implement it in their devices so that they can decrypt the content. The CSS license agreement includes restrictions on how the DVD content is played, including what outputs are permitted and how such permitted outputs are made available. This keeps the encryption intact as the content is displayed.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} | |||
DRM technologies enable content publishers to enforce their own access policies on content, such as restrictions on copying or viewing. These technologies have been criticized for restricting individuals from copying or using the content legally, such as by ]. DRM is in common use by the ] (e.g., audio and video publishers).<ref name=devices>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/117244/quickplay-distributes-tv-over-mobile-wi-fi.html|publisher=MediaDaily News |title=QuickPlay Distributes TV Over Mobile Wi-Fi |date=11 November 2009|accessdate=28 December 2014}}</ref> Many ]s, such as ]'s ], and ] publishers and vendors, such as OverDrive, also use DRM, as do cable and satellite service operators, to prevent unauthorized use of content or services. However, Apple dropped DRM from all iTunes music files around 2009.<ref>{{cite news|author=Bobbie Johnson, San Francisco|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jan/06/apple-drops-itunes-copy-protection|title=Apple drops copy protection from iTunes|newspaper=Guardian|date=6 January 2009|accessdate=6 June 2012}}</ref> | |||
In May 1998, the ] (DMCA) passed as an amendment to US ]. It had controversial (possibly unintended) implications. Russian programmer ] was arrested for alleged DMCA infringement after a presentation at ]. The DMCA has been cited as chilling to legitimate users;<ref>{{cite web |date=7 January 2002 |title=RIAA challenges SDMI attack |url=https://www.usenix.org/legacy/publications/library/proceedings/sec01/craver.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031040253/https://www.usenix.org/legacy/publications/library/proceedings/sec01/craver.pdf |archive-date=31 October 2020 |access-date=13 January 2016}}</ref> such as security consultants including ], who declined to publish vulnerabilities he discovered in ]'s secure-computing scheme due to fear of arrest under DMCA; and blind or visually impaired users of ]s or other ].<ref>{{cite web |date=2011 |title=Joint Comments of the American Council of the Blind and the American Foundation for the Blind, DOCKET NO. RM 2011-7 |url=http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2011/initial/american_foundation_blind.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226130028/http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2011/initial/american_foundation_blind.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2015 |access-date=22 December 2014 |publisher=] and ]}}</ref> | |||
Industry has expanded the usage of DRM to more traditional hardware products, such as ]'s ]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140227/06521826371/keurig-will-use-drm-new-coffee-maker-to-lock-out-refill-market.shtml|title=Keurig Will Use DRM in New Coffee Maker To Lock Out Refill Market |publisher=techdirt.com |first=Karl |last=Bode |date=3 March 2014 |accessdate=3 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/28/6079711/keurig-coffee-pod-drm-has-been-defeated |title=Keurig's coffee brewer 'DRM' has already been defeated |author=Chris Welch |date=28 August 2014}}</ref> ]' ]s,<ref> by ] on ] (14 December 2015)</ref><ref> on techdirt.com (14 December 2015)</ref> ] ],<ref> on techdirt.com by Carlo Longino (25 July 2007)</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/felten/drm-chargers-possibly-good-users/ |title=DRM for Chargers: Possibly Good for Users|author=Ed Felten|date=26 July 2007|publisher=freedom-to-tinker.com|quote=''Apple has filed a patent application on a technology for tethering rechargeable devices (like iPods) to particular chargers. The idea is that the device will only allow its batteries to be recharged if it is connected to an authorized charger. Whether this is good for consumers depends on how a device comes to be authorized. If "authorized" just means "sold or licensed by Apple" then consumers won't benefit – the only effect will be to give Apple control of the aftermarket for replacement chargers.''}}</ref><ref> on hackaday.com (3 March 2014)</ref> and ]'s ]s.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/04/dmca-ownership-john-deere/|publisher=] |title=We Can't Let John Deere Destroy the Very Idea of Ownership |journal=Wired |first=Kyle |last=Wiens |date=21 April 2015 |accessdate=3 May 2015}}</ref> For instance, tractor companies try to prevent farmers from making ] ] under the usage of DRM-laws such as ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/08/17/432601480/diy-tractor-repair-runs-afoul-of-copyright-law |title=DIY Tractor Repair Runs Afoul of Copyright Law |date=17 August 2015 |accessdate=31 August 2015 |first=Laura |last=Sydell |publisher=npr.com}}</ref> | |||
In 1999, ] released ], which allowed a CSS-encrypted DVD to play on a computer running ], at a time when no compliant DVD player for Linux had yet been created. The legality of DeCSS is questionable: one of its authors was sued, and reproduction of the keys themselves is subject to restrictions as ]s.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 February 2000 |title=Memorandum Order, in MPAA v. Reimerdes, Corley and Kazan |url=https://w2.eff.org/IP/Video/MPAA_DVD_cases/?f=20000202_ny_memorandum_order.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213144005/https://w2.eff.org/IP/Video/MPAA_DVD_cases/?f=20000202_ny_memorandum_order.html |archive-date=13 December 2016 |access-date=27 July 2015 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |location=New York}}</ref> | |||
==Technologies== | |||
More modern examples include ], ], ]. | |||
===Verifications=== | |||
The ] (WCT) was passed in 1996. The US ] (DMCA), was passed in 1998. The European Union enacted the ]. In 2006, the lower house of the French parliament adopted such legislation as part of the controversial ] law, but added that protected DRM techniques should be made interoperable, a move which caused widespread controversy in the United States. The ] concluded in 2006, that the complete blocking of any possibilities of making private copies was an impermissible behaviour under French copyright law. | |||
====Product keys==== | |||
One of the oldest and least complicated DRM protection methods for computer and Nintendo Entertainment System games was when the game would pause and prompt the player to look up a certain page in a booklet or manual that came with the game; if the player lacked access to such material, they would not be able to continue the game. A ], a typically alphanumerical ] used to represent a license to a particular piece of software, served a similar function. During the installation process or launch for the software, the user is asked to input the key; if the key correctly corresponds to a valid license (typically via internal algorithms), the key is accepted, then the user who bought the game can continue. In modern practice, product keys are typically combined with other DRM practices (such as online "activation"), as the software could be ] to run without a product key, or "]" programs could be developed to generate keys that would be accepted. | |||
===2000s=== | |||
====Limited install activations==== | |||
The broadcast flag concept was developed by Fox Broadcasting in 2001, and was supported by the ] and the U.S. ] (FCC). A ruling in May 2005 by a ] held that the FCC lacked authority to impose it on the US TV industry. It required that all HDTVs obey a stream specification determining whether a stream can be recorded. This could block instances of fair use, such as ]. It achieved more success elsewhere when it was adopted by the ] (DVB), a consortium of about 250 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers, and regulatory bodies from about 35 countries involved in attempting to develop new digital TV standards. | |||
Some DRM systems limit the number of installations a user can activate on different computers by requiring authentication with an online server. Most games with this restriction allow three or five installs, although some allow an installation to be 'recovered' when the game is uninstalled. This not only limits users who have more than three or five computers in their homes, but can also prove to be a problem if the user has to unexpectedly perform certain tasks like upgrading operating systems or reformatting the computer's storage device. | |||
In January 2001, the Workshop on Digital Rights Management of the ] was held.<ref>{{cite web |title=W3C Workshop – Digital Rights Management for the Web |url=http://www.w3.org/2000/12/drm-ws/Overview.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211145937/http://www.w3.org/2000/12/drm-ws/Overview.html |archive-date=11 February 2010 |access-date=31 August 2010 |publisher=W3.org}}</ref> | |||
In mid-2008, the Windows version of '']'' marked the start of a wave of titles primarily making use of ] for DRM and requiring authentication with a server. The use of the DRM scheme in 2008's '']'' ] and there were protests, resulting in a considerable number of users seeking an unlicensed version instead. This backlash against the three-activation limit was a significant factor in ''Spore'' becoming the most pirated game in 2008, with ] compiling a "top 10" list with ''Spore'' topping the list.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ernesto|url=http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-games-of-2008-081204/|title=Top 10 Most Pirated Games of 2008|publisher=TorrentFreak|date=4 December 2008|accessdate=24 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Andy Greenberg|author2=Mary Jane Irwin|url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/09/12/spore-drm-piracy-tech-security-cx_ag_mji_0912spore.html|title=Spore's Piracy Problem|magazine=Forbes|date=12 September 2008|accessdate=22 October 2011}}</ref> However, Tweakguides concluded that the presence of intrusive DRM does not appear to increase video game piracy, noting that other games on the list such as '']'' and '']'' use DRM which has no install limits or online activation. Additionally, other video games that do use intrusive DRM such as '']'', '']'', and ''Mass Effect'', do not appear on the list.<ref name="Tweakguides: PC Game Piracy Examined: Page 4">{{cite web|author=Koroush Ghazi|url=http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_4.html|title=PC Game Piracy Examined: Page 4|publisher=Tweakguides |date=14 December 2008|accessdate=24 November 2011}}</ref> | |||
On 22 May 2001, the European Union passed the Information Society Directive, with copyright protections. | |||
====Persistent online authentication==== | |||
{{main|Always-on DRM}} | |||
In 2003, the ]/Information Society Standardization System (CEN/ISSS) DRM Report was published.<ref>{{cite web |title=Digital Rights Management |url=http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/activity/drm_fg.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005073900/http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/activity/drm_fg.asp |archive-date=5 October 2006 |publisher=] (CEN)}}</ref> | |||
Many mainstream publishers continued to rely on ] DRM throughout the later half of 2008 and early 2009, including ], ], ], and ], '']'' being a notable exception in the case of Electronic Arts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3173495|title=The Sims 3 Will Not Use DRM: News from|publisher=1UP.com|date=29 March 2009|accessdate=31 August 2010}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Ubisoft broke with the tendency to use online DRM in late 2008, with the release of ''Prince of Persia'' as an experiment to "see how truthful people really are" regarding the claim that DRM was inciting people to use illegal copies.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kuchera|first=Ben|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/12/pc-prince-of-persia-contains-no-drm-its-a-trap.ars|title=PC Prince of Persia contains no DRM. It's a trap!|publisher=Arstechnica.com|date=12 December 2008|accessdate=31 August 2010}}</ref> Although Ubisoft has not commented on the results of the "experiment", Tweakguides noted that two ] on ] had over 23,000 people downloading the game within 24 hours of its release.<ref name="Tweakguides: PC Game Piracy Examined: Page 8">{{cite web|author=Koroush Ghazi|url=http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_8.html|title=PC Game Piracy Examined: Page 8|publisher=Tweakguides|date=11 December 2008|accessdate=3 December 2012}}</ref> | |||
In 2004, the Consultation process of the European Commission, and the DG Internal Market, on the Communication COM(2004)261 by the European Commission on "Management of Copyright and Related Rights" closed.<ref>{{cite web |date=23 February 2009 |title=The address you requested is obsolete |url=http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/copyright/management/management_en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060422013330/http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/copyright/management/management_en.htm |archive-date=22 April 2006 |access-date=31 August 2010 |publisher=Europa.eu.int |df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
Ubisoft formally announced a return to online authentication on 9 February 2010, through its ] online game platform, starting with '']'', '']'', and '']''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ubisoft|url=https://www.ubisoftgroup.com/en-US/press/detail.aspx?cid=tcm:99-30202-16&ctid=tcm:95-27313-32|title=Ubisoft Press Release|publisher=Ubisoft|date=9 February 2010|accessdate=4 March 2010}}</ref> ''Silent Hunter 5'' was first reported to have been compromised within 24 hours of release,<ref>{{cite web|author=Nic Simmonds|url=http://www.mygaming.co.za/news/pc/5515-Ubisofts-contentious-DRM-scheme-already-hacked.html|title=Ubisoft's contentious DRM scheme already hacked|publisher=MyGaming|date=4 March 2010|accessdate=4 March 2010}}</ref> but users of the cracked version soon found out that only early parts of the game were playable.<ref>{{cite web|author=Andy Chalk|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98843-Ubisoft-Denies-Launch-Day-Crack-for-Silent-Hunter-5-DRM|title=Ubisoft Denies Launch Day Crack for Silent Hunter 5 DRM|publisher=Escapist Magazine|date=4 March 2010|accessdate=27 March 2010}}</ref> The Uplay system works by having the installed game on the local PCs incomplete and then continuously downloading parts of the game-code from Ubisoft's servers as the game progresses.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ben Kuchera|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/02/ubisoft-details-drm.ars|title=Official explanation of controversial Assassin's Creed 2 DRM|publisher=Escapist Magazine|date=18 February 2010|accessdate=27 March 2010}}</ref> It was more than a month after the PC release in the first week of April that software was released that could bypass Ubisoft's DRM in ''Assassin's Creed II''. The software did this by emulating a Ubisoft server for the game. Later that month, a real crack was released that was able to remove the connection requirement altogether.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tomshardware.com/news/assassins-creed-crack-hack-drm-ac2,10260.html|title=Ubisoft's DRM for Assassin's Creed II is Cracked|publisher=Tomshardware.com|date=23 April 2010|accessdate=31 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Lowensohn|first=Josh|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20003120-248.html|title=Ubisoft's controversial 'always on' PC DRM hacked|publisher=News.cnet.com|date=21 April 2010|accessdate=31 August 2010}}</ref> | |||
In 2005, DRM Workshops of ], and the work of the High Level Group on DRM were held.<ref>{{cite web |date=2005 |title=eEurope 2005 Action Plan |url=http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/2005/all_about/action_plan/index_en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520194647/http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/2005/all_about/action_plan/index_en.htm |archive-date=20 May 2006 |access-date=28 June 2018 |website=European Commission – Information Society – eEurope 2005}}</ref> | |||
In early March 2010, the Uplay servers suffered a period of inaccessibility due to a large-scale ], causing around 5% of game owners to become locked out of playing their game.<ref>{{cite web|author=John Leyden|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/08/ubisoft_anti_drm_hack_attack/|title=Ubisoft undone by anti-DRM DDoS storm|website=The Register|date=8 March 2010|accessdate=27 March 2010}}</ref> The company later credited owners of the affected games with a free download, and there has been no further downtime.<ref>{{cite web|author=Andre Yoskowitz|url=http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2010/03/26/ubisoft_apologizes_to_users_affected_by_always_on_drm|title=Ubisoft apologizes to users affected by 'always on' DRM|publisher=Afterdawn|date=8 March 2010|accessdate=27 March 2010}}</ref> | |||
In 2005, ] installed DRM software on users' computers without clearly notifying the user or requiring confirmation. Among other things, the software included a ], which created ]. When the nature of the software was made public much later, Sony BMG initially minimized the significance of the vulnerabilities, but eventually recalled millions of CDs, and made several attempts to patch the software to remove the rootkit. ]s were filed, which were ultimately settled by agreements to provide affected consumers with a cash payout or album downloads free of DRM.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=McMillan, Robert |date=23 May 2006 |title=Settlement Ends Sony Rootkit Case |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125838-page,1-c,unresolvedtechstandards/article.html |url-status=dead |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190832/http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125838-page,1-c,unresolvedtechstandards/article.html |archive-date=30 September 2007 |access-date=8 April 2007}}</ref> | |||
Other developers, such as ] are also shifting to a strategy where most of the game logic is on the "side" or taken care of by the servers of the game maker. Blizzard uses this strategy for its game ] and Electronic Arts used this same strategy with their reboot of ], the necessity of which has been questioned.<ref>{{cite web|author=Summer اWalker|url=http://www.gamebreaker.tv/pc-games/simcity-modder-catches-ea-lying/|title=SimCity Modder Catches EA Lying|publisher=Gamebreaker TV|date=20 March 2013|accessdate=28 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325231454/http://www.gamebreaker.tv/pc-games/simcity-modder-catches-ea-lying/|archive-date=25 March 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
Microsoft's media player ] released in 2006 did not support content that used Microsoft's ] DRM scheme.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 September 2006 |title=Zune Won't Play Old DRM Infected Files |url=http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/19/1342256 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216045215/https://slashdot.org/story/06/09/19/1342256/zune-wont-play-old-drm-infected-files |archive-date=16 February 2022 |access-date=19 September 2007 |publisher=slashdot.org}}</ref> | |||
=== Encryption === | |||
An early example of a DRM system is the ] (CSS) employed by the ] on film ]s circa 1996. CSS uses an ] to encrypt content on the DVD disc. Manufacturers of DVD players must license this technology and implement it in their devices so that they can decrypt the encrypted content to play it. The CSS license agreement includes restrictions on how the DVD content is played, including what outputs are permitted and how such permitted outputs are made available. This keeps the encryption intact as the video material is played out to a TV. | |||
], reads instructions from media files in a rights management language that states what the user may do with the media.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ross J. Anderson |url=https://archive.org/details/securityengineer00ande/page/705 |title=Security Engineering |year=2001 |isbn=0-471-38922-6 |page= |publisher=Wiley |author-link=Ross J. Anderson |url-access=registration}}</ref> Later versions of Windows Media DRM implemented music subscription services that make downloaded files unplayable after subscriptions are cancelled, along with the ability for a regional lockout.<ref>{{cite book |title=Security Engineering |publisher=WILEY |chapter=22: Copyright and DRM |access-date=12 May 2013 |chapter-url=http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/book.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226114349/http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/book.html |archive-date=26 February 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Tools like ] strip Windows Media of DRM restrictions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Engadget FairUse4WM strips Windows Media DRM! |date=25 August 2006 |url=https://www.engadget.com/2006/08/25/fairuse4wm-strips-windows-media-drm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831134248/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/25/fairuse4wm-strips-windows-media-drm/ |archive-date=31 August 2006 |access-date=25 August 2006}}</ref> | |||
In 1999, ] released an application called ], which allowed a CSS-encrypted DVD to play on a computer running the ] operating system, at a time when no licensed DVD player application for Linux had yet been created. The legality of DeCSS is questionable: one of the authors has been the subject of a lawsuit, and reproduction of the keys themselves is subject to restrictions as ]s.<ref name="eff1">{{cite web|url=https://w2.eff.org/IP/Video/MPAA_DVD_cases/?f=20000202_ny_memorandum_order.html|title=Memorandum Order, in MPAA v. Reimerdes, Corley and Kazan|date=2 February 2000|website=Electronic Frontier Foundation|location=New York|access-date=27 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213144005/https://w2.eff.org/IP/Video/MPAA_DVD_cases/?f=20000202_ny_memorandum_order.html|archive-date=13 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
The Gowers Review of Intellectual Property by the British Government from ] was published in 2006 with recommendations regarding copyright terms, exceptions, orphaned works, and copyright enforcement. | |||
Encryption can ensure that other restriction measures cannot be bypassed by modifying the software, so sophisticated DRM systems rely on encryption to be fully effective. More modern examples include ], ], ]. | |||
DVB (]) is an updated variant of the broadcast flag. The technical specification was submitted to European governments in March 2007. As with much DRM, the CPCM system is intended to control use of copyrighted material by the end-user, at the direction of the copyright holder. According to Ren Bucholz of the ] (EFF), "You won't even know ahead of time whether and how you will be able to record and make use of particular programs or devices".<ref>{{cite web |title=Who Controls Your Television? |url=http://w2.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129123215/http://w2.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php |archive-date=29 January 2008 |access-date=1 January 2008 |publisher=] |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The normative sections were approved for publication by the DVB Steering Board, and formalized by ] as a formal European Standard (TS 102 825-X) where X refers to the Part number. Nobody has yet stepped forward to provide a ] regime for the standard, so it is not presently possible to fully implement a system, as no supplier of device certificates has emerged. | |||
=== Copying restriction === | |||
Further restrictions can be applied to ] and documents, in order to prevent copying, printing, forwarding, and saving backups. This is common for both ]s and enterprise ]. It typically integrates with ] system software but corporations such as ] also develop their own custom DRM systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sds.samsung.com/popup/solution/epoint.jsp|title=NASCA is a DRM solution...|accessdate=16 July 2013}}</ref> | |||
In December 2006, the industrial-grade ] (AACS) for ] and ]s, a process key was published by hackers, which enabled unrestricted access to AACS-protected content.<ref>{{cite web |author=Xeni Jardin |date=28 December 2006 |title=Report: HD-DVD copy protection defeated |url=http://www.boingboing.net/2006/12/28/report-hddvd-copy-pr.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225075834/http://www.boingboing.net/2006/12/28/report-hddvd-copy-pr.html |archive-date=25 December 2007 |access-date=1 January 2008 |work=BoingBoing}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Cory Doctorow |date=30 May 2007 |title=New AACS processing key leaks onto the net |url=http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/30/new-aacs-processing-.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124055806/http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/30/new-aacs-processing-.html |archive-date=24 January 2009 |work=BoingBoing}}</ref> | |||
While some commentators believe DRM makes e-book publishing complex,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tinhat.com/ebooks_epublishing/epublishers_drm.html|title=eBooks and Digital Rights Management (DRM), for ePublishers|author=TinHat|date=June 2006|publisher=tinhat.com|accessdate=28 May 2008}}</ref> it has been used by organizations such as the ] in its ] to permit worldwide access to substantial numbers of rare documents which, for legal reasons, were previously only available to authorized individuals actually visiting the Library's document centre at Boston Spa in England.<ref>{{cite conference |last1= Braid |first1= Andrew |title= The use of a Digital Rights Management System for Document Supply |book-title= 71th IFLA General Conference and Council |publisher= ] |date= 22 June 2005 |url= http://202.206.214.254:8089/GYZJ/NEPAPER/papers/096e-Braid.pdf |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160611154507/http://202.206.214.254:8089/GYZJ/NEPAPER/papers/096e-Braid.pdf |archivedate= 11 June 2016 |df= dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.locklizard.com/libraries-secure-electronic-delivery/ |title= Practical problems for libraries distributing ebooks & secure electronic delivery |author= |publisher=LockLizard |date=2016 |accessdate= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bl.uk/help/how-to-open-your-on-demand-order |title=How to open your on Demand order |author= |publisher=] |date=1 April 2014 |accessdate= }}</ref> | |||
In January 2007, ] stopped publishing audio CDs with DRM, stating that "the costs of DRM do not measure up to the results."<ref>{{cite web |author=Marechal, Sander |date=9 January 2007 |title=DRM on audio CDs abolished |url=http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/78008/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108144136/http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/78008/index.html |archive-date=8 November 2011 |access-date=9 January 2007}}</ref> In March, Musicload.de, one of Europe's largest internet music retailers, announced their position strongly against DRM. In an open letter, Musicload stated that three out of every four calls to their customer support phone service are as a result of consumer frustration with DRM.<ref>{{cite news |author=Ken Fisher |date=18 March 2007 |title=Musicload: 75% of customer service problems caused by DRM |publisher=Ars Technica |url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070318-75-percent-customer-problems-caused-by-drm.html |url-status=live |access-date=20 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320204358/http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070318-75-percent-customer-problems-caused-by-drm.html |archive-date=20 March 2007}}</ref> | |||
There are four main e-book DRM schemes in common use today, one each from ], Amazon, ], and the Marlin Trust Management Organization (MTMO). | |||
] made music DRM-free after April 2007<ref>{{cite web |title=Apple Unveils Higher Quality DRM-Free Music on the iTunes Store |url=https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408155651/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html |archive-date=8 April 2007 |access-date=13 September 2008}}</ref> and labeled all music as "DRM-Free" after 2008.<ref>{{cite web |date=30 May 2007 |title=Apple hides account info in DRM-free music, too |url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070530-apple-hides-account-info-in-drm-free-music-too.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908050250/http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070530-apple-hides-account-info-in-drm-free-music-too.html |archive-date=8 September 2008 |access-date=13 September 2008}}</ref> Other works sold on iTunes such as apps, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows are protected by DRM.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 January 2009 |title=Apple announces all music on iTunes to go DRM-free – no word on movies, TV shows, games, audiobooks and applications |url=http://www.defectivebydesign.org/itunes-drm-free |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125144927/http://www.defectivebydesign.org/itunes-drm-free |archive-date=25 November 2011 |access-date=25 July 2009}}</ref> | |||
* Adobe's DRM is applied to EPUBs and PDFs, and can be read by several third-party e-book readers, as well as ] (ADE) software. ] uses a DRM technology provided by Adobe, applied to EPUBs and the older ] format e-books. | |||
* Amazon's DRM is an adaption of the original ] encryption and is applied to Amazon's .azw4, KF8, and Mobipocket format e-books. Topaz format e-books have their own encryption system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.mobileread.com/Topaz|title=MobileRead Wiki – Topaz|website=wiki.mobileread.com}}</ref> | |||
* Apple's ] DRM is applied to EPUBs and can currently only be read by Apple's ] app on ] devices and ] computers.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}} | |||
* The Marlin DRM was developed and is maintained in an open industry group known as the Marlin Developer Community (MDC) and is licensed by MTMO. (Marlin was founded by five companies, ], Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, and Sony.) The ] online textbook publisher uses Marlin to protect e-books it sells in the EPUB format. These books can be read on the Kno App for ] and ]. | |||
A notable DRM failure happened in November 2007, when videos purchased from ] prior to 2006 became unplayable due to a change to the servers that validate the licenses.<ref>{{cite web |date=7 November 2007 |title=MLB Fans Who Bought DRM Videos Get Hosed |url=http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/07/2014253 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216045215/https://news.slashdot.org/story/07/11/07/2014253/mlb-fans-who-bought-drm-videos-get-hosed |archive-date=16 February 2022 |access-date=8 November 2007 |publisher=slashdot.org}}</ref> | |||
===Anti-tampering=== | |||
The Microsoft operating system, ], contains a DRM system called the ], which contains the Protected Video Path (PVP). PVP tries to stop DRM-restricted content from playing while unsigned software is running, in order to prevent the unsigned software from accessing the content. Additionally, PVP can encrypt information during transmission to the ] or the ], which makes it more difficult to make unauthorized recordings. | |||
In 2007, the European Parliament supported the EU's direction on copyright protection. | |||
] have used a form of technology since '']'', wherein if the game copy is suspected of being unauthorized, annoyances like guns losing their accuracy or the players being turned into a bird are introduced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/17/interview-bohemia-interactives-ceo-on-fighting-piracy-creative-drm/|title=Interview: Bohemia Interactive's CEO on fighting piracy, creative DRM|author=Nathan Grayson|date=17 November 2011|publisher=pcgamer.com}}</ref> ], the company that released '']'' in November 2011, implemented a different form of DRM wherein, instead of displaying error messages that stop the illicit version of the game from running, it causes a special invincible foe in the game to appear and constantly attack the player until he or she is killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/12/07/serious-sams-drm-is-a-giant-pink-scorpion/|title=Serious Sam's DRM Is A Giant Pink Scorpion|author=John Walker|date=7 December 2011|publisher=rockpapershotgun.com|accessdate=9 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/63236/Serious-Sam-3-Non-Traditional-DRM-Solutions-Part-2|title=Serious Sam 3 Non-Traditional DRM Solutions Part 2|author=socketboy|date=8 December 2011|publisher=ign.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216132324/http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/63236/Serious-Sam-3-Non-Traditional-DRM-Solutions-Part-2|archivedate=16 February 2012|url-status=dead|accessdate=9 December 2011}}</ref> | |||
] released a soundcard which features a function called "Analog Loopback Transformation" to bypass the restrictions of DRM. This feature allows the user to record DRM-restricted audio via the soundcard's built-in analog I/O connection.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 June 2007 |title=Computex 2007: ASUS Showcases New Generation Audio Card |url=http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/computex-2007-asus-showcases-new-generation-audio-card.32449/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109002358/http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/computex-2007-asus-showcases-new-generation-audio-card.32449/ |archive-date=9 January 2015 |access-date=28 December 2014 |work=www.techpowerup.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=1 August 2007 |title=PC Pro Product Reviews Asus Xonar D2 |url=http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/121497/asus-xonar-d2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531023636/http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/121497/asus-xonar-d2.html |archive-date=31 May 2009 |access-date=20 February 2012 |publisher=Pcpro.co.uk}}</ref> | |||
===Regional lockout=== | |||
{{Main|Regional lockout}} | |||
Also in 1999, Microsoft released ], which read instructions from media files in a rights management language that stated what the user may do with the media.<ref name="SecurityEngineeringRA">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/securityengineer00ande/page/705 | author=Ross J. Anderson | title=Security Engineering | isbn=0-471-38922-6 | page= | url-access=registration | author-link=Ross J. Anderson | year=2001 }}</ref> Later versions of Windows Media DRM implemented music subscription services that make downloaded files unplayable after subscriptions are cancelled, along with the ability for a regional lockout.<ref name="Ross">{{cite book |chapter-url = http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/book.html|title = Security Engineering|publisher = WILEY|chapter = 22: Copyright and DRM}}</ref> | |||
] ] (formerly Good Old Games) specializes in ] ]s and has a strict non-DRM policy.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caron |first=Frank |date=9 September 2008 |title=First look: GOG revives classic PC games for download age |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/09/first-look-gog-revives-classic-pc-games-for-download-age.ars |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220150816/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/09/first-look-gog-revives-classic-pc-games-for-download-age/ |archive-date=20 December 2021 |access-date=27 December 2012 |publisher=Ars Technica |quote= focuses on bringing old, time-tested games into the downloadable era with low prices and no DRM.}}</ref> | |||
=== Tracking === | |||
] and ], dropped DRM prior to 2012, when ], a major publisher of science fiction and fantasy books, first sold DRM-free ]s.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 April 2012 |title=Tor/Forge E-book Titles to Go DRM-Free |url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/04/torforge-e-book-titles-to-go-drm-free |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309172101/https://www.tor.com/2012/04/24/torforge-e-book-titles-to-go-drm-free/ |archive-date=9 March 2018 |access-date=24 April 2012 |publisher=Tor.com}}</ref> | |||
====Watermarks==== | |||
] are ] embedded within audio or video data during production or distribution. They can be used for recording the copyright owner, the distribution chain or identifying the purchaser of the music. They are not complete DRM mechanisms in their own right, but are used as part of a system for copyright enforcement, such as helping provide prosecution evidence for legal purposes, rather than direct technological restriction.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wolf|first=Patrick|last2=Steinebach|first2=Martin|last3=Diener|first3=Konstantin|date=2007-02-27|editor-last=Yagüe|editor-first=Mariemma|title=Complementing DRM with digital watermarking: mark, search, retrieve|journal=Online Information Review|language=en|volume=31|issue=1|pages=10–21|doi=10.1108/14684520710731001|issn=1468-4527}}</ref> | |||
The ] project completed in 2008. It was a European Commission Integrated Project of the FP6, has as its main goal automating content production, ], and distribution, to reduce the related costs, and to support DRM at both B2B and B2C areas, harmonizing them. | |||
Some programs used to edit video and/or audio may distort, delete, or otherwise interfere with watermarks. Signal/modulator-carrier chromatography may also separate watermarks from original audio or detect them as glitches. Additionally, comparison of two separately obtained copies of audio using simple, home-grown algorithms can often reveal watermarks.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} | |||
The ] project was a dialogue on consumer acceptability of DRM solutions in Europe that completed in 2008. | |||
====Metadata==== | |||
Sometimes, ] is included in purchased media which records information such as the purchaser's name, account information, or email address. Also included may be the file's publisher, author, creation date, download date, and various notes. This information is not embedded in the played content, like a watermark, but is kept separate, but within the file or stream. | |||
In mid-2008, the ] version of '']'' marked the start of a wave of titles primarily making use of ] for DRM and requiring authentication with a server. The use of the DRM scheme in 2008's '']'' led to protests, resulting in searches for an unlicensed version. This backlash against the activation limit led ''Spore'' to become the most pirated game in 2008, topping the top 10 list compiled by ].<ref>{{cite web |author=Ernesto |date=4 December 2008 |title=Top 10 Most Pirated Games of 2008 |url=http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-games-of-2008-081204/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220140559/http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-games-of-2008-081204/ |archive-date=20 February 2009 |access-date=24 November 2011 |publisher=TorrentFreak}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Andy Greenberg |author2=Mary Jane Irwin |date=12 September 2008 |title=Spore's Piracy Problem |url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/09/12/spore-drm-piracy-tech-security-cx_ag_mji_0912spore.html |url-status=live |magazine=Forbes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081107032515/https://www.forbes.com/2008/09/12/spore-drm-piracy-tech-security-cx_ag_mji_0912spore.html |archive-date=7 November 2008 |access-date=22 October 2011}}</ref> However, ''Tweakguides'' concluded that DRM does not appear to increase video game piracy, noting that other games on the list, such as '']'' and '']'', use DRM without limits or online activation. Additionally, other video games that use DRM, such as '']'', '']'', and ''Mass Effect'', do not appear on the list.<ref>{{cite web |author=Koroush Ghazi |date=14 December 2008 |title=PC Game Piracy Examined: Page 4 |url=http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028160743/https://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_4.html |archive-date=28 October 2019 |access-date=24 November 2011 |publisher=Tweakguides}}</ref> | |||
As an example, metadata is used in media purchased from Apple's iTunes Store for DRM-free as well as DRM-restricted versions of their music or videos. This information is included as MPEG standard metadata.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2007/05/31/itunes-plus-drm-free-not-free-of-annoying-glitches/|title=Tunes Plus DRM-free, not free of annoying glitches|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Watermarked iTunes files|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1058178/ituneswatermark.html|magazine=]}}</ref> | |||
Many mainstream publishers continued to rely on ] DRM throughout the later half of 2008 and early 2009, including ], ], ], and ], '']'' being a notable exception in the case of Electronic Arts.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 March 2009 |title=The Sims 3 Will Not Use DRM: News from |url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3173495 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719012143/http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3173495 |archive-date=19 July 2012 |access-date=31 August 2010 |publisher=1UP.com}}</ref> Ubisoft broke with the tendency to use online DRM in late 2008, with the release of ''Prince of Persia'' as an experiment to "see how truthful people really are" regarding the claim that DRM was inciting people to use illegal copies.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=12 December 2008 |title=PC Prince of Persia contains no DRM. It's a trap! |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/12/pc-prince-of-persia-contains-no-drm-its-a-trap.ars |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703115740/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/12/pc-prince-of-persia-contains-no-drm-its-a-trap.ars |archive-date=3 July 2010 |access-date=31 August 2010 |publisher=Arstechnica.com}}</ref> Although Ubisoft has not commented on the results of the "experiment", Tweakguides noted that two ] on ] had over 23,000 people downloading the game within 24 hours of its release.<ref>{{cite web |author=Koroush Ghazi |date=11 December 2008 |title=PC Game Piracy Examined: Page 8 |url=http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_8.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105161132/https://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_8.html |archive-date=5 November 2019 |access-date=3 December 2012 |publisher=Tweakguides}}</ref> | |||
===Television=== | |||
The ] standard is used by cable television providers in the United States to restrict content to services to which the customer has subscribed. | |||
In 2009, ] remotely deleted purchased copies of ]'s '']'' (1945) and '']'' (1949) from customers' ]s after refunding the purchase price.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stone |first=Brad |date=18 July 2009 |title=Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle Devices |newspaper=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410001949/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html |archive-date=10 April 2010}}</ref> Commentators described these actions as ] and compared Amazon to ] from ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''.<ref>{{cite news |author=David Pogue |date=17 July 2009 |title=Some E-Books Are More Equal Than Others |newspaper=New York Times |url=http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709143707/http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/ |archive-date=9 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Pete Cashmore |date=17 July 2009 |title=Big Brother: Amazon Remotely Deletes 1984 From Kindles |url=http://mashable.com/2009/07/17/amazon-kindle-1984/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103001444/http://mashable.com/2009/07/17/amazon-kindle-1984/ |archive-date=3 November 2011 |access-date=25 July 2009 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Mark Frauenfelder |date=17 July 2009 |title=Amazon zaps purchased copies of Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm from Kindles |url=http://boingboing.net/2009/07/17/amazon-zaps-purchase.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720140146/http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/17/amazon-zaps-purchase.html |archive-date=20 July 2009 |access-date=25 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Ina Fried |date=17 July 2009 |title=Amazon recalls (and embodies) Orwell's '1984' |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10289983-56.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929143324/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10289983-56.html |archive-date=29 September 2011 |access-date=25 July 2009}}</ref> Amazon CEO ] then issued a public apology. FSF wrote that this was an example of the excessive power Amazon has to remotely censor content, and called upon Amazon to drop DRM.<ref>{{cite web |author=Free Software Foundation |author-link=Free Software Foundation |date=23 July 2009 |title=Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos apologizes for Kindle ebook deletion. Free Software Foundation calls upon Amazon to free the ebook reader. |url=http://www.fsf.org/news/amazon-apologizes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726012920/http://www.fsf.org/news/amazon-apologizes |archive-date=26 July 2009 |access-date=25 July 2009}}</ref> Amazon then revealed the reason behind its deletion: the e-books in question were unauthorized reproductions of Orwell's works, which were not within the ] and that the company that published and sold on Amazon's service had no right to do so.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 July 2009 |title=Why Amazon went Big Brother on some Kindle e-books |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/amazon-sold-pirated-books-raided-some-kindles.ars |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720060850/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/amazon-sold-pirated-books-raided-some-kindles.ars |archive-date=20 July 2009 |access-date=14 June 2017 |publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
The ] concept was developed by Fox Broadcasting in 2001, and was supported by the ] and the U.S. ] (FCC). A ruling in May 2005, by a ] held that the FCC lacked authority to impose it on the TV industry in the US. It required that all HDTVs obey a stream specification determining whether a stream can be recorded. This could block instances of fair use, such as ]. It achieved more success elsewhere when it was adopted by the ] (DVB), a consortium of about 250 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers, and regulatory bodies from about 35 countries involved in attempting to develop new digital TV standards. | |||
===2010{{spaced ndash}}present=== | |||
An updated variant of the broadcast flag has been developed in the Content Protection and Copy Management group under DVB (]). Upon publication by DVB, the technical specification was submitted to European governments in March 2007. As with much DRM, the CPCM system is intended to control use of copyrighted material by the end-user, at the direction of the copyright holder. According to Ren Bucholz of the ], which paid to be a member of the consortium, "You won't even know ahead of time whether and how you will be able to record and make use of particular programs or devices".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w2.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php|title=Who Controls Your Television?|publisher=]|accessdate=1 January 2008|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129123215/http://w2.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php|archivedate=29 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The normative sections have now all been approved for publication by the DVB Steering Board, and will be published by ETSI as a formal European Standard as ETSI TS 102 825-X where X refers to the Part number of specification. Nobody has yet stepped forward to provide a ] regime for the standard (though several are rumoured to be in development), so it is not presently possible to fully implement a system, as there is nowhere to obtain the necessary device certificates. | |||
Ubisoft formally announced a return to online authentication on 9 February 2010, through its ] online game platform, starting with '']'', '']'', and '']''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ubisoft |date=9 February 2010 |title=Ubisoft Press Release |url=https://www.ubisoftgroup.com/en-US/press/detail.aspx?cid=tcm:99-30202-16&ctid=tcm:95-27313-32 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109004559/https://www.ubisoftgroup.com/en-US/press/detail.aspx?cid=tcm:99-30202-16&ctid=tcm:95-27313-32 |archive-date=9 January 2015 |access-date=4 March 2010 |publisher=Ubisoft}}</ref> ''Silent Hunter 5'' was first reported to have been compromised within 24 hours of release,<ref>{{cite web |author=Nic Simmonds |date=4 March 2010 |title=Ubisoft's contentious DRM scheme already hacked |url=http://www.mygaming.co.za/news/pc/5515-Ubisofts-contentious-DRM-scheme-already-hacked.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307182638/http://www.mygaming.co.za/news/pc/5515-Ubisofts-contentious-DRM-scheme-already-hacked.html |archive-date=7 March 2010 |access-date=4 March 2010 |publisher=MyGaming}}</ref> but users of the cracked version soon found out that only early parts of the game were playable.<ref>{{cite web |author=Andy Chalk |date=4 March 2010 |title=Ubisoft Denies Launch Day Crack for Silent Hunter 5 DRM |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98843-Ubisoft-Denies-Launch-Day-Crack-for-Silent-Hunter-5-DRM |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408121141/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98843-Ubisoft-Denies-Launch-Day-Crack-for-Silent-Hunter-5-DRM |archive-date=8 April 2010 |access-date=27 March 2010 |publisher=Escapist Magazine}}</ref> The Uplay system works by having the installed game on the local PCs incomplete and then continuously downloading parts of the game code from Ubisoft's servers as the game progresses.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ben Kuchera |date=18 February 2010 |title=Official explanation of controversial Assassin's Creed 2 DRM |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/02/ubisoft-details-drm.ars |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303211937/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/02/ubisoft-details-drm.ars |archive-date=3 March 2012 |access-date=27 March 2010 |publisher=Escapist Magazine}}</ref> It was more than a month after the PC release in the first week of April that software was released that could bypass Ubisoft's DRM in ''Assassin's Creed II''. The software did this by emulating a Ubisoft server for the game. Later that month, a real crack was released that was able to remove the connection requirement altogether.<ref>{{cite web |date=23 April 2010 |title=Ubisoft's DRM for Assassin's Creed II is Cracked |url=http://www.tomshardware.com/news/assassins-creed-crack-hack-drm-ac2,10260.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919152151/http://www.tomshardware.com/news/assassins-creed-crack-hack-drm-ac2,10260.html |archive-date=19 September 2012 |access-date=31 August 2010 |publisher=Tomshardware.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lowensohn |first=Josh |date=21 April 2010 |title=Ubisoft's controversial 'always on' PC DRM hacked |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20003120-248.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201123105/http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20003120-248.html |archive-date=1 December 2010 |access-date=31 August 2010 |publisher=News.cnet.com}}</ref> | |||
==Examples of implementations of DRM technologies== | |||
In March 2010, Uplay servers suffered a period of inaccessibility due to a large-scale ], causing around 5% of game owners to become locked out of playing their game.<ref>{{cite web |author=John Leyden |date=8 March 2010 |title=Ubisoft undone by anti-DRM DDoS storm |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/08/ubisoft_anti_drm_hack_attack/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312223742/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/08/ubisoft_anti_drm_hack_attack/ |archive-date=12 March 2010 |access-date=27 March 2010 |website=The Register}}</ref> The company later credited owners of the affected games with a free download, and there has been no further downtime.<ref>{{cite web |author=Andre Yoskowitz |date=8 March 2010 |title=Ubisoft apologizes to users affected by 'always on' DRM |url=http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2010/03/26/ubisoft_apologizes_to_users_affected_by_always_on_drm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328235520/http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2010/03/26/ubisoft_apologizes_to_users_affected_by_always_on_drm |archive-date=28 March 2010 |access-date=27 March 2010 |publisher=Afterdawn}}</ref> | |||
In 2011, comedian ] released his ] '']'' as an inexpensive (US$5), DRM-free download. The only attempt to deter unlicensed copies was a letter emphasizing the lack of corporate involvement and direct relationship between artist and viewer. The film was a commercial success, turning a profit within 12 hours of its release. The artist suggested that piracy rates were lower than normal as a result, making the release an important case study for the digital marketplace.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 December 2011 |title=Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater |url=https://buy.louisck.net/news/a-statement-from-louis-c-k |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516115209/http://buy.louisck.net/news/a-statement-from-louis-c-k |archive-date=16 May 2012 |access-date=7 January 2012 |publisher=Buy.louisck.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ingram |first=Mathew |date=14 December 2011 |title=What Louis C.K. Knows That Most Media Companies Don't |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-14/what-louis-c-dot-k-dot-knows-that-most-media-companies-dont |url-status=live |magazine=Businessweek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103161314/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-14/what-louis-c-dot-k-dot-knows-that-most-media-companies-dont |archive-date=3 January 2017 |access-date=7 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=chris hannay |date=6 September 2012 |title=Why Louis C.K.'s big payday proves the Internet has ethics |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/why-louis-cks-big-payday-proves-the-internet-has-ethics/article4181150/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103202631/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/why-louis-cks-big-payday-proves-the-internet-has-ethics/article4181150/ |archive-date=3 November 2012}}</ref> | |||
In 2012, the ] ruled in favor of reselling copyrighted games.<ref name="pcgamer">{{cite web |date=3 July 2012 |title=European Court of Justice rules on the right to sell your digital games and licenses |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/07/03/european-court-of-justice-rules-on-the-right-to-sell-your-digital-games-and-licenses/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531104922/http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/07/03/european-court-of-justice-rules-on-the-right-to-sell-your-digital-games-and-licenses/ |archive-date=31 May 2014 |access-date=8 October 2014 |work=PC Gamer}}</ref> | |||
In 2012, India implemented digital rights management protection.<ref name="AGARWAL">{{cite web |last=AGARWAL |first=DEVIKA AGARWAL & RADHIKA |title=Needless pressure to change copyright laws |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/needless-pressure-to-change-copyright-laws/article8557036.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926190436/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/needless-pressure-to-change-copyright-laws/article8557036.ece |archive-date=26 September 2018 |access-date=16 May 2018 |website=@businessline|date=4 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="Thomas">{{citation |first=Zakir |last=Thomas |title=Overview of Changes to Indian Copyright Law |date=2012 |volume=17 |journal=Journal of Intellectual Property Rights |pages=324–334, 332 |url=http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14460/1/JIPR%2017(4)%20324-334.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819052522/http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14460/1/JIPR%2017(4)%20324-334.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="Scaria">{{citation |first=Arul George |last=Scaria |title=Does India Need Digital Rights Management Provisions or Better Digital Business Management Strategies? |date=2012 |volume=17 |journal=Journal of Intellectual Property Rights |pages=463–477, 465 |url=http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14771/1/JIPR%2017%285%29%20463-477.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516174600/http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14771/1/JIPR%2017%285%29%20463-477.pdf |archive-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> | |||
In 2012, ] '']'' released a DRM-free PDF e-book.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 January 2012 |title=A New DRM-free Experiment: Diesel Sweeties |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57359936-264/a-new-drm-free-experiment-diesel-sweeties/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311124558/http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57359936-264/a-new-drm-free-experiment-diesel-sweeties/ |archive-date=11 March 2012 |access-date=17 February 2012 |publisher=news.cnet.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Diesel Sweeties Webcomics Ebook |url=http://www.dieselsweeties.com/ebooks// |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221105815/http://www.dieselsweeties.com/ebooks/ |archive-date=21 February 2012 |access-date=17 February 2012 |publisher=www.dieselsweeties.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=17 January 2012 |title=Free PDF of the first Diesel Sweeties comic collection |url=http://boingboing.net/2012/01/17/free-pdf-of-the-first-diesel-s.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226183646/http://boingboing.net/2012/01/17/free-pdf-of-the-first-diesel-s.html |archive-date=26 February 2012 |access-date=17 February 2012 |publisher=boingboing.net}}</ref> He followed this with a DRM-free iBook specifically for the iPad<ref>{{cite web |date=23 January 2012 |title=An Experiment in iBookery |url=http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=737 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407180255/http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=737 |archive-date=7 April 2012 |access-date=17 February 2012 |publisher=dieselsweeties.com}}</ref> that generated more than 10,000 downloads in three days.<ref name="dieselsweeties740">{{cite web |date=26 January 2012 |title=iBooks Follow-up |url=http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=740 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130163103/http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=740 |archive-date=30 January 2012 |access-date=17 February 2012 |publisher=dieselsweeties.com}}</ref> That led Stevens to launch a ] project – "ebook stravaganza 3000" – to fund the conversion of 3,000 comics, written over 12 years, into a single "humongous" e-book to be released both for free and through the iBookstore; launched 8 February 2012, with the goal of raising $3,000 in 30 days. The "payment optional" DRM-free model in this case was adopted on Stevens' view that "there is a class of webcomics reader who would prefer to read in large chunks and, even better, would be willing to spend a little money on it."<ref name="dieselsweeties740" /> | |||
In February 2012, ] asked for ] for an upcoming video game, '']'', on ] and offered the game DRM-free for backers. This project exceeded its original goal of $400,000 in 45 days, raising in excess of $2 million.<ref name="videogamer">{{cite web |date=16 February 2012 |title=Double Fine's adventure game will be DRM free for backers |url=http://www.videogamer.com/news/double_fines_adventure_game_will_be_drm_free_for_backers.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818150748/https://www.videogamer.com/news/double_fines_adventure_game_will_be_drm_free_for_backers.html |archive-date=18 August 2018 |access-date=17 February 2012 |publisher=videogamer.com}}</ref> Crowdfunding acted as a ] or alternatively as a ]. After the success of ''Double Fine Adventure'', many games were crowd-funded and many offered a DRM-free version.<ref> on theinquirer.net</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818214529/https://www.techspot.com/news/51884-civitas-the-drm-free-alternative-to-simcity-hits-kickstarter.html|date=18 August 2018}} on techspot.com</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626193112/http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/93169/kitaru-kickstarter-supporters-get-drm-free-copy-of-the-game/|date=26 June 2017}} on technologytell.com</ref> | |||
Websites{{snd}}such as ] (shut down by court order on 15 February 2012), BookFi, ], ], and ]{{snd}}allowed e-book downloading by violating copyright.<ref>{{cite news |author=Kelty, Christopher M. |date=1 March 2012 |title=The disappearing virtual library |work=] |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/2012227143813304790.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314204623/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/2012227143813304790.html |archive-date=14 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2 November 2015 |title=Court Orders Shutdown of Libgen, Bookfi, and Sci-Hub |url=https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-shutdown-of-libgen-bookfi-and-sci-hub-151102 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104105150/https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-shutdown-of-libgen-bookfi-and-sci-hub-151102/ |archive-date=4 November 2015 |access-date=5 November 2015 |website=torrentfreak.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schiermeier |first1=Quirin |year=2015 |title=Pirate research-paper sites play hide-and-seek with publishers |url=http://www.nature.com/news/pirate-research-paper-sites-play-hide-and-seek-with-publishers-1.18876 |url-status=live |journal=Nature |doi=10.1038/nature.2015.18876 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206032713/http://www.nature.com/news/pirate-research-paper-sites-play-hide-and-seek-with-publishers-1.18876 |archive-date=6 December 2015 |access-date=6 December 2015 |s2cid=188158277}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=21 November 2015 |title=Sci-hub, bookfi and libgen resurface after being shut down |url=https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-and-libgen-resurface-after-being-shut-down-151121/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504205320/https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-and-libgen-resurface-after-being-shut-down-151121/ |archive-date=4 May 2020 |access-date=7 January 2016 |publisher=TorrentFreak}}</ref> | |||
As of 2013, other developers, such as ] put most of the game logic is on the "side" or taken care of by the servers of the game maker. Blizzard uses this strategy for its game '']'' and Electronic Arts used this same strategy with their reboot of ], the necessity of which has been questioned.<ref>{{cite web |author=Summer اWalker |date=20 March 2013 |title=SimCity Modder Catches EA Lying |url=http://www.gamebreaker.tv/pc-games/simcity-modder-catches-ea-lying/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325231454/http://www.gamebreaker.tv/pc-games/simcity-modder-catches-ea-lying/ |archive-date=25 March 2013 |access-date=28 March 2013 |publisher=Gamebreaker TV}}</ref> | |||
In 2014, the ] ruled that circumventing DRM on game devices was legal under some circumstances.<ref name="techdirt">{{cite web |title=Europe's Highest Court Says DRM Circumvention May Be Lawful in Certain Circumstances |url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140123/08532725967/europes-highest-court-says-drm-circumvention-may-be-lawful-certain-circumstances.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016165933/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140123/08532725967/europes-highest-court-says-drm-circumvention-may-be-lawful-certain-circumstances.shtml |archive-date=16 October 2014 |access-date=8 October 2014 |work=Techdirt.|date=23 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="escapistmagazine">{{cite web |date=23 January 2014 |title=DRM Circumvention May Be Legal, European Union Court Rules |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131597-DRM-Circumvention-May-Be-Legal-European-Union-Court-Rules |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012104236/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131597-DRM-Circumvention-May-Be-Legal-European-Union-Court-Rules |archive-date=12 October 2014 |access-date=8 October 2014 |work=The Escapist}}</ref> | |||
In 2014, digital comic distributor ] allowed rights holders to provide the option of DRM-free downloads. Publishers that allow this include ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite news |date=25 July 2014 |title=Amazon's comixology introduces DRM-free downloads |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/25/amazon-comixology-drm-free-downloads-walking-dead-sex-criminals-darkness-comics |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729184150/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/25/amazon-comixology-drm-free-downloads-walking-dead-sex-criminals-darkness-comics |archive-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> | |||
In February 2022, Comixology, which was later under the ownership of Amazon, ended the option of downloading DRM-free downloads on all comics, although any comics previously purchased prior to the date will have the option to download comics without DRM.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=comiXology |number=1492222215139459072 |title=15/. For now, we're retiring DRM-free downloads. Previous purchases with downloadable content will continue to be downloadable from http://amazon.com, so no need to rush. Your DRM-free downloads can now be found here: https://amazon.com/comixology/account |date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Espósito|first=Filipe|title=Comixology app gets major update, but users don't seem to like it|url=https://9to5mac.com/2022/02/17/comixology-app-gets-major-update-but-users-dont-seem-to-like-it/|work=9To5Mac|date=February 17, 2023}}</ref> | |||
==Technologies== | |||
===Verification=== | |||
====Product keys==== | |||
A ], typically an alphanumerical string, can represent a license to a particular copy of software. During the installation process or software launch, the user is asked to enter the key; if the key is valid (typically via internal algorithms), the key is accepted, and the user can continue. Product keys can be combined with other DRM practices (such as online "activation"), to prevent ] the software to run without a product key, or using a ] to generate acceptable keys. | |||
====Activation limits==== | |||
DRM can limit the number of devices on which a legal user can install content.<ref name="Coates">{{Cite journal |last=Coates |first=Shannon Kathleen |last2=Abroshan |first2=Hossein |date=2023-11-29 |title=Guideline for the Production of Digital Rights Management (DRM) |url=https://aircconline.com/ijsptm/V12N4/12423ijsptm03.pdf |journal=International Journal of Security, Privacy and Trust Management |volume=12 |issue=3/4 |pages=31–45 |doi=10.5121/ijsptm.2023.12403}}</ref> This restriction typically support 3-5 devices. This affects users who have more devices than the limit. Some allow one device to be replaced with another. Without this software and hardware upgrades may require an additional purchase. | |||
====Persistent online DRM==== | |||
{{main|Always-on DRM}} | |||
Always-on DRM checks and rechecks authorization while the content is in use by interacting with a server operated by the copyright holder. In some cases, only part of the content is actually installed, while the rest is downloaded dynamically during use. | |||
===Encryption=== | |||
Encryption alters content in a way that means that it cannot be used without first decrypting it.<ref name="Coates" /> Encryption can ensure that other restriction measures cannot be bypassed by modifying software, so DRM systems typically rely on encryption in addition to other techniques. | |||
===Copy restriction=== | |||
] warning that a file is "copyright protected"]] | |||
] prevents illicit copying of multimedia and other files.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Daniel |date=2019-08-30 |title=PlayReady DRM - 5 Things to Know About DRM Technology |url=https://pallycon.com/blog/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-multi-drm-technology-part-1/ |access-date=2021-03-11 |website=PallyCon |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
Restrictions can be applied to ] and documents, in order to prevent copying, printing, forwarding, and creating backup copies. This is common for both ]s and enterprise ]. It typically integrates with ] system software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sds.samsung.com/popup/solution/epoint.jsp|title=NASCA is a DRM solution...|access-date=16 July 2013|archive-date=15 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115034406/http://www.sds.samsung.com/popup/solution/epoint.jsp|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
While some commentators claim that DRM complicates e-book publishing,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tinhat.com/ebooks_epublishing/epublishers_drm.html|title=eBooks and Digital Rights Management (DRM), for ePublishers|author=TinHat|date=June 2006|publisher=tinhat.com|access-date=28 May 2008|archive-date=9 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609112125/http://www.tinhat.com/ebooks_epublishing/epublishers_drm.html|url-status=live}}</ref> it has been used by organizations such as the ] in its ] to permit worldwide access to rare documents which, for legal reasons, were previously only available to authorized individuals actually visiting the Library's document centre.<ref>{{cite conference |last1= Braid |first1= Andrew |title= The use of a Digital Rights Management System for Document Supply |book-title= 71th IFLA General Conference and Council |publisher= ] |date= 22 June 2005 |url= http://202.206.214.254:8089/GYZJ/NEPAPER/papers/096e-Braid.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160611154507/http://202.206.214.254:8089/GYZJ/NEPAPER/papers/096e-Braid.pdf |archive-date= 11 June 2016 |df= dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.locklizard.com/libraries-secure-electronic-delivery/ |title=Practical problems for libraries distributing ebooks & secure electronic delivery |publisher=LockLizard |date=2016 |access-date=11 May 2016 |archive-date=3 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603175051/http://www.locklizard.com/libraries-secure-electronic-delivery/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bl.uk/help/how-to-open-your-on-demand-order |title=How to open your on Demand order |publisher=] |date=1 April 2014 |access-date=11 May 2016 |archive-date=3 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603192046/http://www.bl.uk/help/how-to-open-your-on-demand-order |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Four main e-book DRM schemes are in common use, from ], Amazon, ], and the Marlin Trust Management Organization (MTMO). | |||
*Adobe's DRM is applied to EPUBs and PDFs, and can be read by several third-party e-book readers, as well as ] (ADE) software. ] uses DRM technology provided by Adobe, applied to EPUBs and the older ] format e-books. | |||
*Amazon's DRM is an adaption of the original ] encryption and is applied to Amazon's <code>.azw4</code>, KF8, and Mobipocket format e-books. Topaz format e-books have their own encryption system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.mobileread.com/Topaz|title=MobileRead Wiki – Topaz|website=wiki.mobileread.com|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-date=4 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204174456/https://wiki.mobileread.com/Topaz|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
*Apple's ] DRM is applied to EPUBs and can be read only by Apple's ] app on ] devices and ] computers.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}} | |||
*The Marlin DRM was developed and is maintained by open industry group Marlin Developer Community (MDC) and is licensed by MTMO. (Marlin was founded by ], Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, and Sony.) Online textbook publisher ] uses Marlin to protect EPUB books. These books can be read on the Kno App for iOS and ]. | |||
===Runtime restrictions=== | |||
] contains a DRM system called ], which contains Protected Video Path (PVP).<ref>{{Cite web |last1=drewbatgit |last2=v-kents |last3=DCtheGeek |last4=msatranjr |title=Protected Media Path - Win32 apps |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/medfound/protected-media-path |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=learn.microsoft.com |date=3 March 2021 |language=en-us}}</ref> PVP tries to stop DRM-restricted content from playing while unsigned software is running, in order to prevent the unsigned software from accessing the content. Additionally, PVP can encrypt information during transmission to the ] or the ], which makes it more difficult to make unauthorized recordings. | |||
] have used a form of technology since '']'', wherein if the game copy is suspected of being unauthorized, annoyances like guns losing their accuracy or the players turning into a bird are introduced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/17/interview-bohemia-interactives-ceo-on-fighting-piracy-creative-drm/|title=Interview: Bohemia Interactive's CEO on fighting piracy, creative DRM|author=Nathan Grayson|date=17 November 2011|publisher=pcgamer.com|access-date=5 January 2012|archive-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107120010/http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/17/interview-bohemia-interactives-ceo-on-fighting-piracy-creative-drm|url-status=live}}</ref> ]'s '']'' causes a special invincible foe in the game to appear and constantly attack the player until they are killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/12/07/serious-sams-drm-is-a-giant-pink-scorpion/|title=Serious Sam's DRM Is A Giant Pink Scorpion|author=John Walker|date=7 December 2011|publisher=rockpapershotgun.com|access-date=9 December 2011|archive-date=8 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208162958/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/12/07/serious-sams-drm-is-a-giant-pink-scorpion/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/63236/Serious-Sam-3-Non-Traditional-DRM-Solutions-Part-2|title=Serious Sam 3 Non-Traditional DRM Solutions Part 2|author=socketboy|date=8 December 2011|publisher=ign.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216132324/http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/63236/Serious-Sam-3-Non-Traditional-DRM-Solutions-Part-2|archive-date=16 February 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=9 December 2011}}</ref> | |||
===Regional lockout=== | |||
{{Main|Regional lockout}}Regional lockout (or region coding) prevents the use of a certain product or service, except in a specific region or territory. Lockout may be enforced through physical means, through technological means such as inspecting the user's ] or using an identifying code, or through unintentional means introduced by devices that support only region-specific technologies (such as ], i.e., ] and ]). | |||
===Tracking=== | |||
====Watermarks==== | |||
] can be ] embedded within audio or video data. They can be used for recording the copyright owner, the distribution chain or identifying the purchaser. They are not complete DRM mechanisms in their own right, but are used as part of a system for copyright enforcement, such as helping provide evidence for legal purposes, rather than enforcing restrictions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wolf|first1=Patrick|last2=Steinebach|first2=Martin|last3=Diener|first3=Konstantin|date=2007-02-27|editor-last=Yagüe|editor-first=Mariemma|title=Complementing DRM with digital watermarking: mark, search, retrieve|journal=Online Information Review|language=en|volume=31|issue=1|pages=10–21|doi=10.1108/14684520710731001|issn=1468-4527}}</ref> | |||
Some audio/video editing programs may distort, delete, or otherwise interfere with watermarks. Signal/modulator-carrier ] may separate watermarks from the recording or detect them as glitches. Additionally, comparison of two separately obtained copies of audio using basic algorithms can reveal watermarks.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} | |||
====Metadata==== | |||
Sometimes, ] is included in purchased media which records information such as the purchaser's name, account information, or email address. Also included may be the file's publisher, author, creation date, download date, and various notes. This information is not embedded in the content, as a watermark is. It is kept separate from the content, but within the file or stream. | |||
As an example, metadata is used in media purchased from iTunes for DRM-free as well as DRM-restricted content. This information is included as ] standard metadata.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2007/05/31/itunes-plus-drm-free-not-free-of-annoying-glitches/|title=Tunes Plus DRM-free, not free of annoying glitches|date=31 May 2007 |publisher=]|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=11 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811032526/https://www.engadget.com/2007/05/31/itunes-plus-drm-free-not-free-of-annoying-glitches/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Watermarked iTunes files|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1058178/ituneswatermark.html|magazine=]|access-date=17 April 2020|archive-date=29 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729214840/https://www.macworld.com/article/1058178/ituneswatermark.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Hardware=== | |||
US ] ]es require a specific piece of hardware to operate. The ] standard is used to restrict content to services to which the customer is subscribed. Content has an embedded ] that the card examines to decide whether the content can be viewed by a specific user. | |||
==Implementations== | |||
{{div col|colwidth=16em}} | |||
{{anchor|Examples of implementations of DRM technologies}} | |||
*] (Macrovision) | *] (Macrovision) | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | |||
*] | *] | ||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] (XCP) | |||
*] | |||
*] | *] (CSS) | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] (AACS) | ||
*] | *] (CPRM) | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] (HDCP) | |||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] ] | *] ] (HTML EME, often implemented with ]) | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | |||
In addition, platforms such as ] may include DRM mechanisms. | |||
*] | |||
{{div col end}} | |||
In addition, platforms such as ] may include DRM mechanisms. Most of the mechanisms above are ] mechanisms rather than DRM mechanisms per se. | |||
==Laws== | ==Laws== | ||
Line 123: | Line 201: | ||
{{globalize|section|date=November 2012}} | {{globalize|section|date=November 2012}} | ||
The |
The ] supports the ] (WCT) which requires nations to enact laws against DRM circumvention. The WIPO Internet Treaties do not mandate criminal sanctions, merely requiring "effective legal remedies".<ref>Urs Gasser, 'Legal Frameworks and Technological Protection Measures: Moving towards a Best Practices Model' Research Publication No. 2006-04 at Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society (Harvard) <available at: https://courses.edx.org/c4x/HarvardX/HLS1.1x/asset/Urs_Gasser.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809032213/https://courses.edx.org/c4x/HarvardX/HLS1.1x/asset/Urs_Gasser.pdf|date=9 August 2017}} last accessed 17 May 2018></ref> | ||
===Australia=== | |||
Australia prohibits circumvention of "access control technical protection measures" in Section 116 of the Copyright Act. The law currently imposes penalties for circumvention of such measures<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s116an.html|title=COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 116AN Circumventing an access control technological protection measure}}</ref> as well as the manufacturing<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s116ao.html|title=COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 116AO Manufacturing etc. a circumvention device for a technological protection measure}}</ref> and distribution<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s116ap.html|title=COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 116AP Providing etc. a circumvention service for a technological protection measure}}</ref> of tools to enable it. | |||
DRM may be legally circumvented under a few distinct circumstances which are named as exceptions in the law: | |||
The ] implementation is the ] (DMCA), while in Europe the treaty has been implemented by the 2001 ], which requires member states of the ] to implement legal protections for technological prevention measures. {{As of|2006|alt=In 2006}}, the lower house of the French parliament adopted such legislation as part of the controversial ] law, but added that protected DRM techniques should be made interoperable, a move which caused widespread controversy in the United States. The ] concluded in 2006, that the complete blocking of any possibilities of making private copies was an impermissible behaviour under French copyright law.<ref name="Christophe R. vs Warner Music">{{cite web|url=http://www.indicare.org/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=180|title=Christophe R. vs Warner Music: French court bans private-copying hostile DRM|author=Natali Helberger|date=1 March 2006|publisher=INDICARE|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
#permission of the rightsholder | |||
#enabling interoperability with copyrighted software | |||
#encryption research | |||
#security testing | |||
#disabling access to private information (circumvention only) | |||
#national security or law enforcement | |||
#library acquisition decisions (circumvention only) | |||
#acts prescribed by regulation (circumvention only) | |||
A person circumventing the access control bears the ] that one of these exceptions apply. | |||
=== China === | |||
In 1998 "Interim Regulations" were founded in China, referring to the DMCA.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=89e26729-52ba-4418-bbb5-05294dff2a2a|title=Digital age copyright law in Asia: DMCA-type provisions in China and India|last=Gerk|first=David|last2=Dannenberg|first2=Ross|date=13 May 2009|website=Lexology}}</ref> China also has Intellectual Property Rights, which to the World Trade Organization, was "not in compliance with the Berne Convention".<ref name=":0" /> The WTO panel "determined that China's copyright laws do not provide the same efficacy to non- Chinese nationals as they do to Chinese citizens, as required by the Berne Convention". and that "China's copyright laws do not provide enforcement procedures so as to permit effective action against any act of infringement of intellectual property rights".<ref name=":0" /> | |||
Penalties for violation of the anti-circumvention laws include an ], monetary damages, and destruction of enabling devices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s116aq.html|title=COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 116AQ Remedies in actions under this Subdivision}}</ref> | |||
===China=== | |||
and included a prohibition on "intentionally circumventing or destroying the technological measures taken by a right holder for protecting the copyright or copyright-related rights in his work, sound recording or video recording, without the permission of the copyright owner, or the owner of the copyright-related rights". However, the Chinese government had faced backlash from ] over the heavy burden | |||
on law enforcement action against circumvention devices, stating that the police only view game copiers as infringing Nintendo's trademark, not as infringing copyright. In response, Nintendo obtained copyright registration for its software in 2013 to make it easier to make law enforcement against game copiers and other circumvention devices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://downloads.regulations.gov/USTR-2013-0040-0034/attachment_1.pdf|title=2014 Special 301 Comments on Piracy of Nintendo Video Game Products|author=]}}</ref> | |||
===European Union=== | ===European Union=== | ||
{{broader|Copyright law of the European Union}} | {{broader|Copyright law of the European Union}} | ||
The EU operates under its Information Society Directive, its WIPO implementation. The European Parliament then directed member states to outlaw violation of international copyright for commercial purposes. Punishments range from fines to imprisonment. It excluded patent rights and copying for personal, non-commercial purposes. Copyrighted games can be resold.<ref name="pcgamer" /> Circumventing DRM on game devices is legal under some circumstances; protections cover only technological measures the interfere with prohibited actions.<ref name="techdirt" /><ref name="escapistmagazine" /> | |||
On 22 May 2001, the European Union passed the Information Society Directive, an implementation of the 1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty, that addressed many of the same issues as the DMCA. | |||
On 25 April 2007, the European Parliament supported the first directive of EU, which aims to harmonize criminal law in the member states. It adopted a first reading report on harmonizing the national measures for fighting copyright abuse. If the European Parliament and the Council approve the legislation, the submitted directive will oblige the member states to consider a crime a violation of international copyright committed with commercial purposes. The text suggests numerous measures: from fines to imprisonment, depending on the gravity of the offense. The EP members supported the Commission motion, changing some of the texts. They excluded patent rights from the range of the directive and decided that the sanctions should apply only to offenses with commercial purposes. Copying for personal, non-commercial purposes was also excluded from the range of the directive. | |||
===India=== | |||
In 2012, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in favor of reselling copyrighted games, prohibiting any preventative action that would prevent such transaction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/07/03/european-court-of-justice-rules-on-the-right-to-sell-your-digital-games-and-licenses/|title=European Court of Justice rules on the right to sell your digital games and licenses|work=PC Gamer|accessdate=8 October 2014|date=3 July 2012}}</ref> The court said that "The ] in the EU of a copy of a computer program by the copyright holder or with his consent exhausts the right of distribution of that copy in the EU. A rightholder who has marketed a copy in the territory of a Member State of the EU thus loses the right to rely on his monopoly of exploitation in order to oppose the resale of that copy."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregvoakes/2012/07/03/european-courts-rule-in-favor-of-consumers-reselling-downloaded-games/|title=European Courts Rule in Favor of Consumers Reselling Downloaded Games|author=Greg Voakes|date=3 July 2012|work=Forbes|accessdate=8 October 2014}}</ref> | |||
India acceded to the ] and the ] on July 4, 2018,<ref>{{Cite web |title=India Joins WIPO Internet Treaties: A Major Step Forward |url=https://www.mpa-apac.org/2018/07/india-joins-wipo-internet-treaties-a-major-step-forward/ |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=mpaa-apac.org |language=en-US}}</ref> after a 2012 amendment to the ] criminalized the circumvention of technical protections. Fair use is not explicitly addressed, but the anti-circumvention provisions do not prohibit circumventing for non-infringing purposes.<ref name="AGARWAL" /><ref name="Thomas" /><ref name="Scaria" /> | |||
===Israel=== | |||
In 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that circumventing DRM on game devices may be legal under some circumstances, limiting the legal protection to only cover technological measures intended to prevent or eliminate unauthorised acts of reproduction, communication, public offer or distribution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140123/08532725967/europes-highest-court-says-drm-circumvention-may-be-lawful-certain-circumstances.shtml|title=Europe's Highest Court Says DRM Circumvention May Be Lawful in Certain Circumstances|work=Techdirt.|accessdate=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131597-DRM-Circumvention-May-Be-Legal-European-Union-Court-Rules|title=DRM Circumvention May Be Legal, European Union Court Rules|date=23 January 2014|work=The Escapist|accessdate=8 October 2014}}</ref> | |||
Israel is not a signatory to the WIPO Copyright Treaty. Israeli law does not expressly prohibit the circumvention of technological protection measures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://israeltechnologylaw.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/no-digital-rights-management-here/|title=Israel Technology Law Blog|website=israeltechnologylaw.wordpress.com|access-date=16 February 2022|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429231827/https://israeltechnologylaw.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/no-digital-rights-management-here/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Japan=== | |||
Japan outlawed circumvention of technological protection measures on June 23, 1999 through an amendment of its 1970 copyright law. <ref>Art. 1, </ref> and circumvention of a TPM is deemed as copyright infringement. However, circumvention is allowed for research purposes or if it otherwise does not harm the rightsholder's interests.<ref>Art. 113, </ref> | |||
=== |
===Pakistan=== | ||
Pakistan is not a signatory to the WIPO Copyright Treaty or the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Pakistani law does not criminalize the circumvention of technological protection measures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/special-404|title=301's Flaws|website=eff.org|access-date=17 September 2023}}</ref> | |||
India is not a signatory to ] nor the ].<ref>Seemantani Sharma, ‘India, RCEP and the WIPO Internet Treaties: Time For a Rethink’ (''The Diplomat'', 16 August 2017) <https://thediplomat.com/2017/08/india-rcep-and-the-wipo-internet-treaties-time-for-a-rethink/> accessed 16 May 2018.</ref> However, as a part of its 2012 amendment of copyright laws, it implemented digital rights management protection.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/needless-pressure-to-change-copyright-laws/article8557036.ece|title=Needless pressure to change copyright laws|first=DEVIKA AGARWAL & RADHIKA|last=AGARWAL|website=@businessline}}</ref> Section 65A of ] imposed criminal sanctions on circumvention of "effective technological protection measures".<ref name=":2">Zakir Thomas, 'Overview of Changes to Indian Copyright Law' 17 Journal of Intellectual Property Rights pp 324–334, 332 <available at http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14460/1/JIPR%2017(4)%20324-334.pdf accessed 16 May 2018></ref> Section 65B criminalized interference with digital rights management information. Any distribution of copies whose rights management information was modified was also criminalized by Section 65B.<ref name=":2" /> The terms used in the provisions were not specifically defined, with the concerned Parliamentary Standing Committee indicating the same to have been deliberate. The Standing Committee noted that similar terms in developed terms were used to considerable complexity and therefore in light of the same, it was preferable to keep it open-ended.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
As of January 2022, Pakistan's Intellectual Property Office intended to accede to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. However, there has been no major progress for Pakistan to accede to the treaties,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-investment-climate-statements/pakistan/|title=2022 Investment Climate Statements: Pakistan|website=www.state.gov|access-date=17 September 2023}}</ref> and the timeline of the enactments of amendments to the Copyright Ordinance is unclear.<ref>{{cite report |date=April 2023 |title=2023 Special 301 Report |url=https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/2023%20Special%20301%20Report.pdf |publisher=Office of the United States Trade Representative |page=81 |access-date=May 31, 2024}}</ref> As of February 2023, Pakistan's Intellectual Property Office was currently finalizing draft amendments to its Copyright Ordinance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-investment-climate-statements/pakistan/|title=2023 Investment Climate Statements: Pakistan|website=www.state.gov|access-date=17 September 2023}}</ref> | |||
A prison sentence is mandatory under both provisions, with a maximum term of 2 years in addition to fine, which is discretionary. While the statute doesn't include exceptions to copyright infringement, including fair use directly, Section 65A allows measures "unless they are expressly prohibited", which may implicitly include such exceptions.<ref name=":1" /> Section 65B however, lacks any exceptions.<ref name=":3">Arul George Scaria, 'Does India Need Digital Rights Management Provisions or Better Digital Business Management Strategies?' 17 Journal of Intellectual Property Rights pp. 463–477, 465 <available at: http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14771/1/JIPR%2017%285%29%20463-477.pdf last accessed 16 May 2018></ref> Further. Section 65B (digital rights management information) allows resort to other civil provisions, unlike Section 65A.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> | |||
It is important to note that the WIPO Internet Treaties themselves do not mandate criminal sanctions, merely requiring "effective legal remedies."<ref>Urs Gasser, 'Legal Frameworks and Technological Protection Measures: Moving towards a Best Practices Model' Research Publication No. 2006-04 at Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society (Harvard) <available at: https://courses.edx.org/c4x/HarvardX/HLS1.1x/asset/Urs_Gasser.pdf last accessed 17 May 2018></ref> Thus, India's adoption of criminal sanctions ensures compliance with the highest standards of the WIPO internet treaties. Given the 2012 amendment, India's entry to the WIPO Internet Treaties appears facilitated,<ref>Arul George Scaria, 'Does India Need Digital Rights Management Provisions or Better Digital Business Management Strategies?' 17 Journal of Intellectual Property Rights pp. 463–477, 464 <available at: http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14771/1/JIPR%2017%285%29%20463-477.pdf last accessed 16 May 2018></ref> especially since ratification of the WIPO Internet Treaties is mandatory under agreements like the RCEP.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
=== Israel === | |||
{{as of| 2019}} Israel had not ratified the WIPO Copyright Treaty. Israeli law does not currently expressly prohibit the circumvention of technological measures used to implement digital rights management. In June 2012 The Israeli Ministry of Justice proposed a bill to prohibit such activities, but the ] did not pass it. In September 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the current copyright law could not be interpreted to prohibit the circumvention of digital rights management, though the Court left open the possibility that such activities could result in liability under the law of unjust enrichment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://israeltechnologylaw.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/no-digital-rights-management-here/|title=Israel Technology Law Blog – No Digital Rights Management Here}}</ref> | |||
===United States=== | ===United States=== | ||
{{Main|Digital Millennium Copyright Act}} | {{Main|Digital Millennium Copyright Act}} | ||
US protections are governed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It criminalizes the production and dissemination of technology that lets users circumvent copy-restrictions. Reverse engineering is expressly permitted, providing a ] where circumvention is necessary to interoperate with other software. | |||
Reverse engineering of existing systems is expressly permitted under the Act under the specific condition of a safe harbor, where circumvention is necessary to achieve interoperability with other software . See 17 U.S.C. Sec. 1201(f). Open-source software to decrypt content scrambled with the ] and other encryption techniques presents an intractable problem with the application of the Act. Much depends on the intent of the actor. If the decryption is done for the purpose of achieving interoperability of open source operating systems with proprietary operating systems, it would be protected by Section 1201(f) the Act. Cf., Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley, 273 F.3d 429 (2d Cir. 2001) at notes 5 and 16. However, dissemination of such software for the purpose of violating or encouraging others to violate copyrights has been held illegal. See Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes, 111 F. Supp. 2d 346 (S.D.N.Y. 2000). | |||
] that decrypts protected content is not prohibited per se. Decryption done for the purpose of achieving interoperability of open source operating systems with proprietary systems is protected. Dissemination of such software for the purpose of violating or encouraging others to violate copyrights is prohibited. | |||
The DMCA has been largely ineffective in protecting DRM systems,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boingboing.net/2007/03/24/dmcas_author_says_th.html|title=DMCA's author says the DMCA is a failure, blames record industry|first=Cory|last=Doctorow|date=24 March 2007|accessdate=12 January 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623191635/http://boingboing.net/2007/03/24/dmcas_author_says_th.html|archivedate=23 June 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> as software allowing users to circumvent DRM remains widely available. However, those who wish to preserve the DRM systems have attempted to use the Act to restrict the distribution and development of such software, as in the case of DeCSS. | |||
DMCA has been largely ineffective.<ref>{{cite web |last=Doctorow |first=Cory |date=24 March 2007 |title=DMCA's author says the DMCA is a failure, blames record industry |url=http://boingboing.net/2007/03/24/dmcas_author_says_th.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623191635/http://boingboing.net/2007/03/24/dmcas_author_says_th.html |archive-date=23 June 2011 |access-date=12 January 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Cirumvention software is widely available. However, those who wish to preserve the DRM systems have attempted to use the Act to restrict the distribution and development of such software, as in the case of DeCSS. DMCA contains an exception for research, although the exception is subject to qualifiers that created uncertainty in that community. | |||
Although the Act contains an exception for research, the exception is subject to vague qualifiers that do little to reassure researchers. Cf., 17 U.S.C. Sec. 1201(g). The DMCA has affected ], because many {{Who|date=March 2010}} fear that cryptanalytic research may violate the DMCA. In 2001, the arrest of Russian programmer ] for alleged infringement of the DMCA was a highly publicized example of the law's use to prevent or penalize development of anti-DRM measures. He was arrested in the US after a presentation at ], and spent several months in jail. The DMCA has also been cited as chilling to non-criminal inclined users, such as students of ] including, Professor Felten and students at ];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usenix.org/legacy/publications/library/proceedings/sec01/craver.pdf|title=RIAA challenges SDMI attack|date=7 January 2002}}</ref> security consultants, such as Netherlands based ], who declined to publish vulnerabilities he discovered in ]'s secure-computing scheme due to fear of being arrested under the DMCA when he travels to the US; and blind or visually impaired users of ]s or other ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2011/initial/american_foundation_blind.pdf |title=Joint Comments of the American Council of the Blind and the American Foundation for the Blind, DOCKET NO. RM 2011-7 |publisher=] and ] |date=2011 }}</ref> | |||
Cryptanalytic research may violate the DMCA, although this is unresolved. | |||
===International issues=== | |||
In Europe, there have been several ongoing dialog activities that are characterized by their consensus-building intention: | |||
===Notable lawsuits=== | |||
* January 2001 Workshop on Digital Rights Management of the ] .<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/2000/12/drm-ws/Overview.html|title=W3C Workshop – Digital Rights Management for the Web|publisher=W3.org|accessdate=31 August 2010}}</ref> | |||
{{div col|colwidth=30em}} | |||
* 2003 Participative preparation of the ]/Information Society Standardization System (CEN/ISSS) DRM Report.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/activity/drm_fg.asp |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005073900/http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/activity/drm_fg.asp |archivedate=5 October 2006 |title=Digital Rights Management |publisher=] (CEN)}}</ref> | |||
*'']'' | |||
* 2005 DRM Workshops of ], and the work of the High Level Group on DRM.<ref>{{cite web |website=European Commission – Information Society – eEurope 2005 |title=eEurope 2005 Action Plan |date=2005 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/2005/all_about/action_plan/index_en.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520194647/http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/2005/all_about/action_plan/index_en.htm |archivedate=20 May 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=28 June 2018 }}</ref> | |||
*''] ]'' | |||
* 2005 Gowers Review of Intellectual Property by the British Government from ] published in 2006 with recommendations regarding copyright terms, exceptions, orphaned works, and copyright enforcement. | |||
*'']'' | |||
* 2004 Consultation process of the European Commission, DG Internal Market, on the Communication COM(2004)261 by the European Commission on "Management of Copyright and Related Rights" (closed).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/copyright/management/management_en.htm|title=The address you requested is obsolete|publisher=Europa.eu.int|date=23 February 2009|accessdate=31 August 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060422013330/http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/copyright/management/management_en.htm|archivedate=22 April 2006|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
*'']'' | |||
* The ] project, a European Commission Integrated Project of the FP6, has as its main goal automating content production, copy protection, and distribution, to reduce the related costs, and to support DRM at both B2B and B2C areas, harmonizing them. | |||
{{div col end}} | |||
* The ] project is an ongoing dialogue on consumer acceptability of DRM solutions in Europe. It is an open and neutral platform for exchange of facts and opinions, mainly based on articles by authors from science and practice. | |||
==Opposition== | ==Opposition== | ||
<!--courtesy note per ]: ] targets this section.--> | |||
Many organizations, prominent individuals, and computer scientists are opposed to DRM. Two notable DRM critics are ], as expressed for instance, in his article "]: How Big brother and big media can put the Internet genie back in the bottle",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/digital-imprimatur/|title=The Digital Imprimatur: How big brother and big media can put the Internet genie back in the bottle.|first=John|last=Walker|date=13 September 2003}}</ref> and ] in his article ''The Right to Read''<ref>{{cite web|author=Richard Stallman|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html|title=The Right to Read|author-link=Richard Stallman}}</ref> and in other public statements: "DRM is an example of a malicious feature – a feature designed to hurt the user of the software, and therefore, it's something for which there can never be toleration".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifso.ie/documents/gplv3-launch-2006-01-16.html|title=Transcript of Opening session of first international GPLv3 conference|date=16 January 2006|first=Ciaran|last=O'Riordan}}</ref> Stallman also believes that using the word "rights" is misleading and suggests that the word "restrictions", as in "Digital Restrictions Management", be used instead.<ref name="opposing-drm">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/opposing-drm.html|title=Opposing Digital Rights Mismanagement (Or Digital Restrictions Management, as we now call it)?|accessdate=29 May 2014}}</ref> This terminology has since been adopted by many other writers and critics unconnected with Stallman.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/sony-rootkit-the-untold-story/ |title=Sony rootkit: The untold story |author=David Berlind |date=18 November 2005 |website=] |publisher= |accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | |||
DRM faces widespread opposition. ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/digital-imprimatur/|title=The Digital Imprimatur: How big brother and big media can put the Internet genie back in the bottle.|first=John|last=Walker|date=13 September 2003|access-date=4 February 2004|archive-date=5 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105014841/http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/digital-imprimatur/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ] are notable critics.<ref>{{cite web|author=Richard Stallman|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html|title=The Right to Read|author-link=Richard Stallman|access-date=18 April 2014|archive-date=20 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420074747/http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifso.ie/documents/gplv3-launch-2006-01-16.html|title=Transcript of Opening session of first international GPLv3 conference|date=16 January 2006|first=Ciaran|last=O'Riordan|access-date=21 February 2006|archive-date=21 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021033558/http://www.ifso.ie/documents/gplv3-launch-2006-01-16.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Stallman has claimed that using the word "rights" is misleading and suggests that the word "restrictions", as in "Digital Restrictions Management", replace it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/opposing-drm.html|title=Opposing Digital Rights Mismanagement (Or Digital Restrictions Management, as we now call it)?|access-date=29 May 2014|archive-date=6 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706043116/http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/opposing-drm.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This terminology has been adopted by other writers and critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/sony-rootkit-the-untold-story/|title=Sony rootkit: The untold story|author=David Berlind|date=18 November 2005|website=]|access-date=20 August 2015|archive-date=11 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611005913/http://www.zdnet.com/article/sony-rootkit-the-untold-story/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last = Grassmuck |first = Volker |year = 2003 |title = Vom PC zum TC: Trusted Computing und Digital Restrictions Management |publisher = Verlag Recht und Wirtschaft |location = Frankfurt am Main |url = http://waste.informatik.hu-berlin.de/Grassmuck/Texts/TCG.pdf |access-date = 20 August 2015 |series = Kommunikation & Recht |work = Trusted Computing |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305103403/http://waste.informatik.hu-berlin.de/Grassmuck/Texts/TCG.pdf |archive-date = 5 March 2016 |url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference|title=Scholarly e-books: the views of 16,000 academics: Results from the JISC National E-Book Observatory|last1=Jamali|first1=Hamid R.|last2=Nicholas|first2=David|last3=Rowlands|first3=Ian|date=2009|publisher=Emerald Insight|book-title=ASLIB Proceedings|pages=33–47|doi=10.1108/00012530910932276}}</ref> | |||
|last = Grassmuck | |||
|first = Volker | |||
|year = 2003 | |||
|title = Vom PC zum TC: Trusted Computing und Digital Restrictions Management | |||
|publisher = Verlag Recht und Wirtschaft | |||
|location = Frankfurt am Main | |||
|url = http://waste.informatik.hu-berlin.de/Grassmuck/Texts/TCG.pdf | |||
|accessdate = 20 August 2015 | |||
|series = Kommunikation & Recht | |||
|work = Trusted Computing | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305103403/http://waste.informatik.hu-berlin.de/Grassmuck/Texts/TCG.pdf | |||
|archive-date = 5 March 2016 | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |title=Scholarly e‐books: the views of 16,000 academics: Results from the JISC National E‐Book Observatory |last1=Jamali |first1=Hamid R. |author-link1= |last2=Nicholas |first2=David |last3=Rowlands |first3=Ian |author-link2= |date=2009 |publisher=Emerald Insight |book-title=ASLIB Proceedings |pages=33–47 |location= |id= |doi=10.1108/00012530910932276 }}</ref> | |||
Other prominent critics |
Other prominent critics include ], who heads a British organization that opposes DRM and similar efforts in the UK and elsewhere, and ].<ref name="Doctorow">{{cite web|url=http://www.changethis.com/4.DRM|title=Microsoft Research DRM Talk|last=Doctorow|first=Cory|author-link=Cory Doctorow|date=17 June 2004|publisher=craphound.com|format=PDF|access-date=17 August 2007|quote=At the end of the day, all DRM systems share a common vulnerability: they provide their attackers with ciphertext, the cipher and the key. At this point, the secret isn't a secret anymore.|archive-date=2 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102045736/http://changethis.com/4.DRM|url-status=dead}}</ref> ] and organizations such as ] are opposed to DRM.<ref>{{Cite web|title = DRM|url = https://www.eff.org/issues/drm|website = Electronic Frontier Foundation|access-date = 13 January 2016|archive-date = 5 July 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180705015859/https://www.eff.org/issues/drm|url-status = live}}</ref> The ] criticized DRM's effect as a ] from a ] perspective.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Media in the Digital Age|last = Pavlik|first = John|publisher = Columbia University Press|year = 2008|isbn = 978-0231142090|location = New York|pages = 181}}</ref> | ||
] argues that digital copy prevention is futile: "What the entertainment industry is trying to do is to use technology to contradict that natural law. They want a practical way to make copying hard enough to save their existing business. But they are doomed to fail."<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115145148/http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0105.html#3|date=15 November 2011}} Crypto-Gram Newsletter, 15 May 2001</ref> He described trying to make digital files uncopyable as like "trying to make water not wet".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Bruce |last=Schneier|date=7 September 2005|title=Quickest Patch Ever|url=https://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/09/71738|magazine=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103095236/http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/09/71738|archive-date=3 January 2010|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
Bill Gates spoke about DRM at CES in 2006. According to him, DRM is not where it should be, and causes problems for legitimate consumers while trying to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate users.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/12/14/bill-gates-on-the-future-of-drm/|title=Bill Gates on the Future of DRM.}}</ref> | |||
The creators of ''StarForce'' stated that "The purpose of copy protection is not making the game uncrackable – it is impossible."<ref>{{cite web|title=Official words of StarForce on DRM|url=http://www.glop.org/starforce/images/starforce-official-words.png|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926064848/http://glop.org/starforce/images/starforce-official-words.png|archive-date=26 September 2010|access-date=8 September 2010}}</ref> | |||
There have been numerous others who see DRM at a more fundamental level. This is similar to some of the ideas in Michael H. Goldhaber's presentation about "The Attention Economy and the Net" at a 1997 conference on the "Economics of Digital Information".<ref name="Goldhaber">{{cite web|url=http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue2_4/goldhaber/#dep18|title=The Attention Economy and the Net|accessdate=28 July 2008}}</ref> (sample quote from the "Advice for the Transition" section of that presentation:<ref name="Goldhaber" /> "If you can't figure out how to afford it without charging, you may be doing something wrong.")] member protesting DRM on 25 May 2007.]] | |||
] spoke about DRM at 2006 ], saying that DRM causes problems for legitimate consumers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/12/14/bill-gates-on-the-future-of-drm/|title=Bill Gates On The Future Of DRM|date=14 December 2006|access-date=16 February 2022|archive-date=16 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216045221/https://techcrunch.com/2006/12/14/bill-gates-on-the-future-of-drm/|url-status=live}}</ref>] member protesting DRM on 25 May 2007]] | |||
The Norwegian consumer rights organization "Forbrukerrådet" complained to Apple Inc. in 2007, about the company's use of DRM in, and in conjunction with, its iPod and iTunes products. Apple was accused of restricting users' access to their music and videos in an unlawful way, and of using ]s which conflict with Norwegian consumer legislation. The complaint was supported by consumers' ] in Sweden and Denmark, and is currently{{when|date=June 2019}} being reviewed in the EU. Similarly, the United States ] held hearings in March 2009, to review disclosure of DRM limitations to customers' use of media products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2008/12/ftc-town-hall-address-digital-rights-management-technologies|title=FTC Town Hall to Address Digital Rights Management Technologies |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029070751/http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2008/12/ftc-town-hall-address-digital-rights-management-technologies |archivedate=29 October 2014|publisher=]|date=23 December 2008 }}</ref> | |||
The Norwegian consumer rights organization "Forbrukerrådet" complained to Apple in 2007 about the company's use of DRM, accusing it of unlawfully restricting users' access to their music and videos, and of using ]s that conflict with Norwegian consumer legislation. The complaint was supported by consumers' ] in Sweden and Denmark, and was reviewed in the EU in 2014. The United States ] held hearings in March 2009, to review disclosure of DRM limitations to customers' use of media products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2008/12/ftc-town-hall-address-digital-rights-management-technologies|title=FTC Town Hall to Address Digital Rights Management Technologies|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029070751/http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2008/12/ftc-town-hall-address-digital-rights-management-technologies|archive-date=29 October 2014|publisher=]|date=23 December 2008}}</ref> | |||
] president ] also stated "most DRM strategies are just dumb" because they only decrease the value of a game in the consumer's eyes. Newell suggests that the goal should instead be " greater value for customers through service value". Valve operates ], a service which serves as an online store for ]s, as well as a ] and a DRM platform.<ref name="test">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171588|title=Gabe Newell Says DRM Strategies 'Are Just Dumb'|date=2 December 2008}}</ref> | |||
] president ] stated, "most DRM strategies are just dumb" because they only decrease the value of a game in the consumer's eyes. Newell suggested that the goal should instead be " greater value for customers through service value". Valve operates ], an online store for ]s, as well as a ] and a DRM platform.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 December 2008 |title=Gabe Newell Says DRM Strategies 'Are Just Dumb' |url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171588 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204142323/http://www.1up.com/news/gabe-newell-drm-strategies-dumb |archive-date=4 February 2016 |access-date=2 December 2008}}</ref> | |||
At the 2012 ], the CEO of ], Marcin Iwinski, announced that the company will not use DRM in any of its future releases. Iwinski stated of DRM, "it's just over-complicating things. We release the game. It's cracked in two hours, it was no time for '']''. What really surprised me is that the pirates didn't use the ] version, which was not protected. They took the ] retail version, cracked it and said 'we cracked it' – meanwhile there's a non-secure version with a simultaneous release. You'd think the GOG version would be the one floating around." Iwinski added after the presentation, "DRM does not protect your game. If there are examples that it does, then people maybe should consider it, but then there are complications with legit users."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/08/witcher-2-developer-we-will-never-use-any-drm-anymore/|title='Witcher 2' Developer: 'We Will Never Use Any DRM Anymore'|last=Kain|first=Eric|magazine=Forbes|accessdate=30 March 2012}}</ref> | |||
At the 2012 ], the CEO of ], Marcin Iwinski, announced that the company would not use DRM. Iwinski stated of DRM, "It's just over-complicating things... the game... is cracked in two hours." Iwinski added "DRM does not protect your game. If there are examples that it does, then people maybe should consider it, but then there are complications with legit users."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/08/witcher-2-developer-we-will-never-use-any-drm-anymore/|title='Witcher 2' Developer: 'We Will Never Use Any DRM Anymore'|last=Kain|first=Eric|magazine=Forbes|access-date=30 March 2012|archive-date=17 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317091733/http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/08/witcher-2-developer-we-will-never-use-any-drm-anymore/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The ] and the ] have historically opposed DRM, even going so far as to name ] as a technology "most likely to fail" in an issue of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jan05/2703|title=Loser: DVD Copy Protection, Take 2|accessdate=4 May 2007|author=Tekla S. Perry|date=January 2007|work=Spectrum Online|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608074811/http://spectrum.ieee.org/jan05/2703|archivedate=8 June 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
The ] and the ] opposed DRM, naming ] as a technology "most likely to fail" in an issue of '']''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/loser-dvd-copy-protection-take-2|title=Loser: DVD Copy Protection, Take 2|access-date=11 August 2024|first=Tekla S.|last=Perry|date=1 January 2005|magazine=IEEE Spectrum}}</ref> | |||
Tools like ] have been created to strip Windows Media of DRM restrictions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2006/08/25/fairuse4wm-strips-windows-media-drm|title=Engadget FairUse4WM strips Windows Media DRM!|accessdate=25 August 2006}}</ref> Websites{{snd}}such as ] (shut down by court order on 15 February 2012), BookFi, ], ], and Science Hub{{snd}}have gone further to allow downloading e-books by violating copyright.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/2012227143813304790.html|title=The disappearing virtual library|author=Kelty, Christopher M.|date=1 March 2012|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-shutdown-of-libgen-bookfi-and-sci-hub-151102|title=Court Orders Shutdown of Libgen, Bookfi, and Sci-Hub|date=2 November 2015|website=torrentfreak.com|accessdate=5 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.nature.com/news/pirate-research-paper-sites-play-hide-and-seek-with-publishers-1.18876|title=Pirate research-paper sites play hide-and-seek with publishers|journal=Nature|accessdate=6 December 2015|doi=10.1038/nature.2015.18876|year=2015|last1=Schiermeier|first1=Quirin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-and-libgen-resurface-after-being-shut-down-151121/|title=Sci-hub, bookfi and libgen resurface after being shut down|date=21 November 2015|publisher=TorrentFreak|accessdate=7 January 2016}}</ref> | |||
=== |
===Public licenses=== | ||
The |
The ] version 3, as released by the ], has a provision that "strips" DRM of its legal value, so people can break the DRM on GPL software without breaking laws such as the ]. In May 2006, FSF launched a "]" campaign against DRM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#DRMProhibited|title=Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU Licenses – GNU Project – Free Software Foundation|date=28 July 2010|publisher=FSF|access-date=31 August 2010|archive-date=3 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203231849/http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#DRMProhibited|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defectivebydesign.org/|title=The Campaign to Eliminate DRM|publisher=DefectiveByDesign.org|access-date=31 August 2010|archive-date=23 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123173030/https://www.defectivebydesign.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
] provides licensing options |
] provides licensing options that encourage creators to work without the use of DRM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.creativecommons.org/FAQ#Is_Creative_Commons_involved_in_digital_rights_management_.28DRM.29.3F|title=Frequently Asked Questions – CcWiki|date=9 November 2006|access-date=22 November 2006|archive-date=26 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726210512/http://wiki.creativecommons.org/FAQ#Is_Creative_Commons_involved_in_digital_rights_management_.28DRM.29.3F|url-status=live}}</ref> Creative Commons licenses have anti-DRM clauses, making the use of DRM by a licensee a breach of the licenses' Baseline Rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Baseline_Rights|title=Baseline Rights – Creative Commons Wiki|date=13 July 2007|access-date=23 December 2007|archive-date=1 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401094821/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/Baseline_Rights|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
===DRM-free works=== | ===DRM-free works=== | ||
] for DRM-free works]] | ] for DRM-free works]] | ||
Many publishers and artists label their works "DRM-free". Major companies that have done so include Apple, ], ] and ]. ] once had DRM-free works available for sale until 2022 when its parent company, Amazon, removed the option to buy DRM-free works as part of their migration to Amazon's website, although previous purchases remained DRM-free.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hector|first=Hamish|title=Friendly reminder: soon new ComiXology purchases will not be DRM-free|url=https://www.techradar.com/news/friendly-reminder-soon-new-comixology-purchases-will-not-be-drm-free|work=TechRadar|publisher=Future US|date=17 January 2022}}</ref> | |||
In reaction to opposition to DRM, many publishers and artists label their works as "DRM-free". Major companies that have done so include the following: | |||
* ] sold DRM content on their ] when it launched in 2003, but made music DRM-free after April 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html|title=Apple Unveils Higher Quality DRM-Free Music on the iTunes Store|accessdate=13 September 2008}}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and has been labeling all music as "DRM-Free" since January 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070530-apple-hides-account-info-in-drm-free-music-too.html|title=Apple hides account info in DRM-free music, too|accessdate=13 September 2008|date=30 May 2007}}</ref> The music still carries a ] to identify the purchaser. Other works sold on iTunes such as apps, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows continue to be protected by DRM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defectivebydesign.org/itunes-drm-free|title=Apple announces all music on iTunes to go DRM-free – no word on movies, TV shows, games, audiobooks and applications|date=8 January 2009}}</ref> | |||
* Since 2014, ], which distributes digital comics, has allowed rights holders to provide the option of a DRM-free download of purchased comics. Publishers which allow this include ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news|title=Amazon's comixology introduces DRM-free downloads|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/25/amazon-comixology-drm-free-downloads-walking-dead-sex-criminals-darkness-comics|accessdate=30 July 2014|work=The Guardian|date=25 July 2014}}</ref> | |||
* ] (formerly Good Old Games), a ] since 2008, specializes in the distribution of ] ]s. While most other digital distribution services allow various forms of DRM (or have them embedded), gog.com has a strict non-DRM policy.<ref name="arspreview">{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/09/first-look-gog-revives-classic-pc-games-for-download-age.ars |title=First look: GOG revives classic PC games for download age |accessdate=27 December 2012 |first=Frank|last=Caron |date=9 September 2008 |publisher=Ars Technica |quote= focuses on bringing old, time-tested games into the downloadable era with low prices and no DRM.}}</ref> | |||
* All music sold on ] is DRM free. | |||
* ], a major publisher of science fiction and fantasy books, first sold DRM-free ]s in July 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tor/Forge E-book Titles to Go DRM-Free |url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/04/torforge-e-book-titles-to-go-drm-free|publisher=Tor.com |accessdate=24 April 2012|date=24 April 2012}}</ref> Smaller e-book publishers, such as ] and ], had already forgone DRM previously. | |||
*] is one of the publishers included in the ]'s DRM-free guide.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Guide to DRM-Free Living {{!}} Defective by Design|url = http://www.defectivebydesign.org/guide|website = www.defectivebydesign.org|accessdate = 3 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
==Shortcomings== | ==Shortcomings== | ||
===Availability=== | |||
Many DRM systems require online authentication. Whenever the server goes down, or a territory experiences an Internet outage, it locks out people from registering or using the material.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/a-great-day-for-drm-as-denuvo-lapse-renders-tons-of-games-temporarily-unplayable/ |title=A great day for DRM as Denuvo lapse renders tons of games temporarily unplayable |first=Mollie |last=Taylor |date=8 November 2021 |website=] |access-date=9 November 2021 |archive-date=9 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109012336/https://www.pcgamer.com/a-great-day-for-drm-as-denuvo-lapse-renders-tons-of-games-temporarily-unplayable/ |url-status=live}}</ref> This is especially true for products that require a persistent online connection, where, for example, a successful ] on the server essentially makes the material unusable. | |||
=== |
===Usability=== | ||
]s (CDs) with DRM schemes are not standards-compliant, and are labeled ]s. CD-ROMs cannot be played on all ]s or personal computers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firefox.org/news/articles/1045/1/What-is-DRM-and-why-should-I-care/Page1.html|title=What is DRM and Why Should I Care?|author=Lewis, Rita|date=8 January 2008|publisher=Firefox News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614083008/http://firefox.org/news/articles/1045/1/What-is-DRM-and-why-should-I-care/Page1.html|archive-date=14 June 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=10 July 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
Many DRM systems require authentication with an online server. Whenever the server goes down, or a region or country experiences an Internet outage, it effectively locks out people from registering or using the material. This is especially true for a product that requires a persistent online authentication, where, for example, a successful ] on the server would essentially make all copies of the material unusable. | |||
===Performance=== | |||
Additionally, any system that requires contact with an authentication server is vulnerable to that server's becoming unavailable, as happened in 2007, when videos purchased from ] (mlb.com) prior to 2006, became unplayable due to a change to the servers that validate the licenses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/07/2014253|title=MLB Fans Who Bought DRM Videos Get Hosed|date=7 November 2007|publisher=slashdot.org|accessdate=8 November 2007}}</ref> | |||
Certain DRM systems have been associated with reduced performance: some games implementing ] performed better without DRM.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/evidence-continues-to-mount-about-how-bad-denuvo-is-for-pc-gaming-performance/|title=Evidence continues to mount about how bad Denuvo is for PC gaming performance|last=Machkovech|first=Sam|date=2018-12-26|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us|access-date=2019-06-26|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410171912/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/evidence-continues-to-mount-about-how-bad-denuvo-is-for-pc-gaming-performance/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegamer.com/denuvo-drm-hurts-game-performance/|title=Denuvo DRM Proven To Hurt Performance Of Games It's Attached To|date=2019-03-29|website=TheGamer|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-26|archive-date=26 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626111531/https://www.thegamer.com/denuvo-drm-hurts-game-performance/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in March 2018, '']'' tested '']'' for the performance effects of ], which was found to cause no negative gameplay impact despite a little increase in loading time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/denuvo-drm-performance-final-fantasy-15/|title=Tested: Denuvo DRM has no performance impact on Final Fantasy 15|last=Thoman|first=Peter "Durante"|date=2018-03-09|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-26|archive-date=27 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727200418/https://www.pcgamer.com/denuvo-drm-performance-final-fantasy-15/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
=== |
===Robustness=== | ||
DRM copy-prevention schemes can never be wholly secure since the logic needed to decrypt the content is present either in software or hardware and implicitly can be hacked. An attacker can extract this information, decrypt and copy the content, bypassing the DRM.<ref name="Doctorow" /> | |||
Discs with DRM schemes are not standards-compliant ] (CDs) but are rather ] media. Therefore, they all lack the CD logotype found on discs which follow the standard (known as ]). These CDs cannot be played on all ]s or personal computers. Personal computers running ] sometimes even crash when attempting to play the CDs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firefox.org/news/articles/1045/1/What-is-DRM-and-why-should-I-care/Page1.html|title=What is DRM and Why Should I Care?|author=Lewis, Rita|date=8 January 2008|publisher=Firefox News|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614083008/http://firefox.org/news/articles/1045/1/What-is-DRM-and-why-should-I-care/Page1.html|archivedate=14 June 2008|url-status=dead|accessdate=10 July 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
Satellite and cable systems distribute their content widely and rely on hardware DRM systems. Such systems can be hacked by reverse engineering the protection scheme. | |||
=== Performance === | |||
DRM is perceived to create performance drawbacks, as games tend to have better performance after the DRM is patched out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/evidence-continues-to-mount-about-how-bad-denuvo-is-for-pc-gaming-performance/|title=Evidence continues to mount about how bad Denuvo is for PC gaming performance|last=Machkovech|first=Sam|date=2018-12-26|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us|access-date=2019-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegamer.com/denuvo-drm-hurts-game-performance/|title=Denuvo DRM Proven To Hurt Performance Of Games It's Attached To|date=2019-03-29|website=TheGamer|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-26}}</ref> However, as game developers pointed out in the case of ], the impact on performance can be minimised depending on how the DRM system is integrated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/crackers-say-denuvo-drm-caused-slowdown-on-rime/|title=Rime allegedly runs faster with Denuvo DRM stripped out|last=Orland|first=Kyle|date=2017-06-02|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us|access-date=2019-06-26}}</ref> In March 2018, ] tested Final Fantasy 15 for the performance effects of ], which was found to cause no negative gameplay impact despite a little increase in loading time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/denuvo-drm-performance-final-fantasy-15/|title=Tested: Denuvo DRM has no performance impact on Final Fantasy 15|last=Thoman|first=Peter "Durante"|date=2018-03-09|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-26}}</ref> | |||
=== |
===Analog hole=== | ||
Audio and visual material (excluding interactive materials, ''e.g.'', video games) are subject to the ], namely that in order to view the material, the digital signal must be turned into an analog signal. Post-conversion, the material can be then be copied and reconverted to a digital format. | |||
The analog hole cannot be filled without externally imposed restrictions, such as legal regulations, because the vulnerability is inherent to all analog presentation.<ref>Sicker, Douglas, Paul Ohm, and Shannon Gunaji. "The Analog Hole and the Price of Music: An Empirical Study". ''Journal of Tellecommunications and High Technology''. 2006–2007.</ref> The conversion from digital to analog and back reduces recording quality. The ] attempt to plug the analog hole was largely ineffective.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vimeo.com/4520463|title=MPAA shows how to videorecord a TV set|access-date=4 September 2009|archive-date=17 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217082309/http://vimeo.com/4520463|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GzN3ohNNPDgC&pg=PA192|title=Security and Privacy in Digital Rights Management|isbn=9783540436775|last1=Sander|first1=Tomas|date=26 April 2002|publisher=Springer}}</ref> | |||
==== Always technically breakable ==== | |||
DRM schemes, especially software based ones, can never be wholly secure since the software must include all the information necessary to decrypt the content, such as the ]. An attacker will be able to extract this information, directly decrypt and copy the content, which bypasses the restrictions imposed by a DRM system.<ref name="Doctorow" /> Even with the industrial-grade ] (AACS) for ] and ]s, a process key was published by hackers in December 2006, which enabled unrestricted access to AACS-protected content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boingboing.net/2006/12/28/report-hddvd-copy-pr.html|title=Report: HD-DVD copy protection defeated|author=Xeni Jardin|date=28 December 2006|work=BoingBoing|accessdate=1 January 2008}}</ref> After the first keys were revoked, further cracked keys were released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/30/new-aacs-processing-.html|title=New AACS processing key leaks onto the net|author=Cory Doctorow|date=30 May 2007|work=BoingBoing|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124055806/http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/30/new-aacs-processing-.html|archivedate=24 January 2009}}</ref> | |||
===Consumer rights=== | |||
To protect a secret ] from the users of the system, some DRM schemes use encrypted media which requires purpose-built hardware to hear or see the content. A common real-world example can be found in commercial ] television systems such as ] and Malaysia's ]. The company uses tamper-resistant ]s to store decryption keys so that they are hidden from the user and the satellite receiver. This appears to ensure that only licensed users with the hardware can access the content. While this in principle can work, it is extremely difficult to build the hardware to protect the secret key against a sufficiently determined adversary. Many such systems have failed in the field. Once the secret key is known, building a version of the hardware that performs no checks is often relatively straightforward. In addition user verification provisions are frequently subject to attack, ] being among the most frequented ones. | |||
====Ownership restrictions==== | |||
DRM opponents argue that it violates ] rights and restricts a range of normal and legal user activities. A DRM component such as that found on a ] restricts how it acts with regard to certain content, overriding user's wishes (for example, preventing the user from copying a copyrighted song to ] as part of a compilation). Doctorow described this as "the right to make up your own copyright laws".<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819083940/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140206/10323526118/drm-is-right-to-make-up-your-own-copyright-laws.shtml |date=19 August 2018}} – ], Techdirt, 6 February 2014</ref> | |||
Windows Vista disabled or degraded content play that used a Protected Media Path.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/01/25/519180.aspx|title=What Content Will Be Crippled When Output in Vista?|access-date=8 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006042342/http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/01/25/519180.aspx|archive-date=6 October 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> DRM restricts the right to make personal copies, provisions lend copies to friends, provisions for service discontinuance, hardware agnosticism, software and operating system agnosticism,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wesleytech.com/why-is-netflix-ignoring-linux/2072/|title=Why is Netflix ignoring Linux?|date=29 May 2010|access-date=8 September 2010|archive-date=11 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611123221/http://wesleytech.com/why-is-netflix-ignoring-linux/2072/|url-status=live}}</ref> lending library use, customer protections against contract amendments by the publisher, and whether content can pass to the owner's heirs.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503064350/http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/26/why-the-kindles-drm-is-anti-elderly-and-perhaps-even-a-target-for-an-aarp-campaign-against-it/|date=3 May 2009}}, 26 February 2009</ref> | |||
] argues that digital copy prevention is futile: "What the entertainment industry is trying to do is to use technology to contradict that natural law. They want a practical way to make copying hard enough to save their existing business. But they are doomed to fail."<ref> Crypto-Gram Newsletter, 15 May 2001</ref> He has also described trying to make digital files uncopyable as being like "trying to make water not wet".<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Bruce Schneier|date=7 September 2005|title=Quickest Patch Ever|url=https://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/09/71738|magazine=Wired|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103095236/http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/09/71738|archivedate=3 January 2010}}</ref> The creators of StarForce also take this stance, stating that "The purpose of copy protection is not making the game uncrackable – it is impossible."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glop.org/starforce/images/starforce-official-words.png|title=Official words of StarForce on DRM|accessdate=8 September 2010}}</ref> | |||
====Analog recording==== | |||
{{Main|Analog recording}} | |||
All forms of DRM for audio and visual material (excluding interactive materials, e.g., videogames) are subject to the ], namely that in order for a viewer to play the material, the digital signal must be turned into an analog signal containing light and/or sound for the viewer, and so available to be copied as no DRM is capable of controlling content in this form. In other words, a user could play a purchased audio file while using a separate program to record the sound back into the computer into a DRM-free file format. | |||
All DRM to date can therefore be bypassed by recording this signal and digitally storing and distributing it in a non DRM limited form, by anyone who has the technical means of recording the analog stream. Furthermore, the analog hole cannot be overcome without the additional protection of externally imposed restrictions, such as legal regulations, because the vulnerability is inherent to all analog means of transmission.<ref>Sicker, Douglas, Paul Ohm, and Shannon Gunaji. "The Analog Hole and the Price of Music: An Empirical Study". ''Journal of Tellecommunications and High Technology''. 2006–2007.</ref> However, the conversion from digital to analog and back is likely to force a loss of quality, particularly when using ] digital formats. ] is an attempt to plug the analog hole, although as of 2009, it was largely ineffective.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vimeo.com/4520463|title=MPAA shows how to videorecord a TV set|accessdate=4 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=GzN3ohNNPDgC&pg=PA192#v=onepage&q=&f=false|title=Security and Privacy in Digital Rights Management|accessdate=4 September 2009|isbn=9783540436775|last1=Sander|first1=Tomas|date=26 April 2002}}</ref> | |||
] released a soundcard which features a function called "Analog Loopback Transformation" to bypass the restrictions of DRM. This feature allows the user to record DRM-restricted audio via the soundcard's built-in analog I/O connection.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/computex-2007-asus-showcases-new-generation-audio-card.32449/|title=Computex 2007: ASUS Showcases New Generation Audio Card|accessdate=28 December 2014|work=www.techpowerup.com|date=6 June 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/121497/asus-xonar-d2.html|title=PC Pro Product Reviews Asus Xonar D2|publisher=Pcpro.co.uk|date=1 August 2007|accessdate=20 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531023636/http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/121497/asus-xonar-d2.html|archive-date=31 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
In order to prevent this exploit, there has been some discussions between copyright holders and manufacturers of electronics capable of playing such content to no longer include analog connectivity in their devices.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Definition of analog sunset|url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/analog-sunset|access-date=2020-07-31|website=PCMAG|language=en}}</ref> The movement, dubbed as "Analog Sunset", has seen a steady decline in analog output options on most ] devices manufactured after 2010.<ref name=":4" /> | |||
=== Consumer rights implication === | |||
==== Ownership issue after purchase ==== | |||
DRM opponents argue that the presence of DRM violates existing ] rights and restricts a range of heretofore normal and legal user activities. A DRM component would control a device a user owns (such as a ]) by restricting how it may act with regard to certain content, overriding some of the user's wishes (for example, preventing the user from burning a copyrighted song to ] as part of a compilation or a review). Doctorow has described this possibility as "the right to make up your own copyright laws".<ref> – ], Techdirt, 6 February 2014</ref> | |||
An example of this restriction to legal user activities may be seen in Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system in which content using a Protected Media Path is disabled or degraded depending on the DRM scheme's evaluation of whether the hardware and its use are 'secure'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/01/25/519180.aspx|title=What Content Will Be Crippled When Output in Vista?|accessdate=8 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006042342/http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/01/25/519180.aspx|archive-date=6 October 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> All forms of DRM depend on the DRM-enabled device (e.g., computer, DVD player, TV) imposing restrictions that cannot be disabled or modified by the user. Key issues around DRM such as the right to make personal copies, provisions for persons to lend copies to friends, provisions for service discontinuance, hardware agnosticism, software and operating system agnosticism,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wesleytech.com/why-is-netflix-ignoring-linux/2072/|title=Why is Netflix ignoring Linux?|accessdate=8 September 2010}}</ref> contracts for public libraries, and customers' protection against one-side amendments of the contract by the publisher have not been fully addressed. It has also been pointed out that it is entirely unclear whether owners of content with DRM are legally permitted to pass on their property as ] to another person.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503064350/http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/26/why-the-kindles-drm-is-anti-elderly-and-perhaps-even-a-target-for-an-aarp-campaign-against-it/|date=3 May 2009}}, 26 February 2009</ref> | |||
In one instance of DRM that caused a rift with consumers, ] in July 2009, remotely deleted purchased copies of ]'s '']'' (1945) and '']'' (1949) from customers' ]s after providing them a refund for the purchased products.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html|title=Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle Devices|last=Stone|first=Brad|date=18 July 2009|newspaper=New York Times|accessdate=1 May 2010}}</ref> Commentators have described these actions as ] and have compared Amazon to ] from Orwell's ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/|title=Some E-Books Are More Equal Than Others|author=David Pogue|date=17 July 2009|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2009/07/17/amazon-kindle-1984/|title=Big Brother: Amazon Remotely Deletes 1984 From Kindles|author=Pete Cashmore|date=17 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://boingboing.net/2009/07/17/amazon-zaps-purchase.html|title=Amazon zaps purchased copies of Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm from Kindles|author=Mark Frauenfelder|date=17 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10289983-56.html|title=Amazon recalls (and embodies) Orwell's '1984'|author=Ina Fried|date=17 July 2009}}</ref> After Amazon CEO ] issued a public apology, the ] wrote that this was just one more example of the excessive power Amazon has to remotely censor what people read through its software, and called upon Amazon to free its e-book reader and drop DRM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fsf.org/news/amazon-apologizes|title=Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos apologizes for Kindle ebook deletion. Free Software Foundation calls upon Amazon to free the ebook reader.|author=Free Software Foundation|date=23 July 2009|author-link=Free Software Foundation}}</ref> Amazon then revealed the reason behind its deletion: the e-books in question were unauthorized reproductions of Orwell's works, which were not within the ] and to which the company that published and sold them on Amazon's service had no rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/amazon-sold-pirated-books-raided-some-kindles.ars|title=Why Amazon went Big Brother on some Kindle e-books|date=17 July 2009|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
==== Compulsory bundled software ==== | |||
In 2005, ] which installed DRM software on users' computers without clearly notifying the user or requiring confirmation. Among other things, the installed software included a ], which created a severe security vulnerability others could exploit. When the nature of the DRM involved was made public much later, Sony BMG initially minimized the significance of the vulnerabilities its software had created, but was eventually compelled to recall millions of CDs, and released several attempts to patch the surreptitiously included software to at least remove the rootkit. Several ]s were filed, which were ultimately settled by agreements to provide affected consumers with a cash payout or album downloads free of DRM.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=McMillan, Robert|date=23 May 2006|title=Settlement Ends Sony Rootkit Case|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125838-page,1-c,unresolvedtechstandards/article.html|magazine=]|accessdate=8 April 2007}}</ref> | |||
====Obsolescence==== | ====Obsolescence==== | ||
When standards and formats change, DRM-restricted content may become obsolete. | |||
When standards and formats change, it may be difficult to transfer DRM-restricted content to new media, for instance Microsoft's new media player ] did not support content that uses Microsoft's own ] DRM scheme they had previously been selling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/19/1342256|title=Zune Won't Play Old DRM Infected Files|date=19 September 2006|accessdate=19 September 2007|publisher=slashdot.org}}</ref> | |||
Furthermore, when a company undergoes business changes or even bankruptcy, its previous services may become unavailable. Examples include MSN Music,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080422-drm-sucks-redux-microsoft-to-nuke-msn-music-drm-keys.html|title=DRM sucks redux: Microsoft to nuke MSN Music DRM keys|date=22 April 2008|accessdate=22 April 2008|publisher=Ars Technica|first=Jacqui|last=Cheng}}</ref> Yahoo! Music Store,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2008/07/drm-still-sucks-yahoo-music-going-dark-taking-keys-with-it/|title=DRM still sucks: Yahoo Music going dark, taking keys with it|date=24 July 2008|accessdate=18 May 2012|publisher=Ars Technica|first=Nate|last=Anderson}}</ref> Adobe Content Server 3 for Adobe PDF,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/409/kb409073.html|title=Adobe Content 3 Server Discontinued|accessdate=22 February 2011}}</ref> Acetrax Video on Demand,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml/|title=VOD Service Acetrax Shutting Down, Forcing Customers Through DRM Hoops To Retain Their Purchased Movies|accessdate=23 May 2013}}</ref> etc. | |||
When a company undergoes business changes or bankruptcy, its previous services may become unavailable. Examples include MSN Music,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080422-drm-sucks-redux-microsoft-to-nuke-msn-music-drm-keys.html|title=DRM sucks redux: Microsoft to nuke MSN Music DRM keys|date=22 April 2008|access-date=22 April 2008|publisher=Ars Technica|first=Jacqui|last=Cheng|archive-date=29 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529102807/http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2008/04/drm-sucks-redux-microsoft-to-nuke-msn-music-drm-keys/|url-status=live}}</ref> Yahoo! Music Store,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2008/07/drm-still-sucks-yahoo-music-going-dark-taking-keys-with-it/|title=DRM still sucks: Yahoo Music going dark, taking keys with it|date=24 July 2008|access-date=18 May 2012|publisher=Ars Technica|first=Nate|last=Anderson|archive-date=18 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118025222/http://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2008/07/drm-still-sucks-yahoo-music-going-dark-taking-keys-with-it/|url-status=live}}</ref> Adobe Content Server 3 for Adobe PDF,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/409/kb409073.html|title=Adobe Content 3 Server Discontinued|access-date=22 February 2011|archive-date=7 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007150727/http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/409/kb409073.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and Acetrax Video on Demand.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml/|title=VOD Service Acetrax Shutting Down, Forcing Customers Through DRM Hoops To Retain Their Purchased Movies|date=23 May 2013 |access-date=23 May 2013|archive-date=9 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609212643/http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==== Selective enforcement ==== | |||
DRM laws are widely flouted: according to Australia Official Music Chart Survey, copyright infringements from all causes are practised by millions of people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/CurrentIssueInternetMusicFileSharingCDBurning.htm|title=Australia Recording industry Association Survey, 2003|accessdate=5 February 2011}}</ref> According to the EFF, "in an effort to attract customers, these music services try to obscure the restrictions they impose on you with clever marketing."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/pages/customer-always-wrong-users-guide-drm-online-music|title=The Customer Is Always Wrong|publisher=]|accessdate=6 February 2011|date=25 September 2007}}</ref> | |||
=== |
====Piracy==== | ||
DRM laws are widely flouted: according to Australia Official Music Chart Survey, copyright infringements from all causes are practised by millions of people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/CurrentIssueInternetMusicFileSharingCDBurning.htm|title=Australia Recording industry Association Survey, 2003|access-date=5 February 2011|archive-date=17 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217014855/http://aria.com.au/pages/CurrentIssueInternetMusicFileSharingCDBurning.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the EFF, "in an effort to attract customers, these music services try to obscure the restrictions they impose on you with clever marketing."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/pages/customer-always-wrong-users-guide-drm-online-music|title=The Customer Is Always Wrong|publisher=]|access-date=6 February 2011|date=25 September 2007|archive-date=5 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205171449/http://www.eff.org/pages/customer-always-wrong-users-guide-drm-online-music|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Economic implication=== | |||
==== Lost benefits from massive market share ==== | |||
====Trade-offs between control and sales==== | |||
Jeff Raikes, ex-president of the Microsoft Business Division, stated: "If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us rather than somebody else".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2007/03/microsoft-executive-pirating-software-choose-microsoft.ars |title=Microsoft executive: Pirating software? Choose Microsoft!|accessdate=6 February 2011|date=13 March 2007}}</ref> An analogous argument was made in an early paper by Kathleen Conner and Richard Rummelt.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Software Piracy: An Analysis of Protection Strategies|author=Conner, Kathleen and Richard Rummelt |journal=Management Science|volume=37|year=1991|jstor=2632386|issue=2|pages=125–139 |doi=10.1287/mnsc.37.2.125 }}</ref> A subsequent study of digital rights management for e-books by ] and ] showed that relaxing some forms of DRM can be beneficial to digital rights holders because the losses from piracy are outweighed by the increases in value to legal buyers.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2004/42/|title=Are Digital Rights Valuable? Theory and Evidence from the eBook Industry|author=Oestreicher-Singer, Gal and Arun Sundararajan|journal=Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems|year=2004}}</ref> | |||
], ex-president of the Microsoft Business Division, stated: "If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us rather than somebody else".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2007/03/microsoft-executive-pirating-software-choose-microsoft.ars|work=Ars Technica|title=Microsoft executive: Pirating software? Choose Microsoft!|access-date=6 February 2011|date=13 March 2007|archive-date=23 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223072518/http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2007/03/microsoft-executive-pirating-software-choose-microsoft.ars|url-status=live|first=Matt|last=Mondok}}</ref> An analogous argument was made in an early paper by Kathleen Conner and Richard Rummelt.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Software Piracy: An Analysis of Protection Strategies|author=Conner, Kathleen and Richard Rummelt |journal=Management Science|volume=37|year=1991|jstor=2632386|issue=2|pages=125–139 |doi=10.1287/mnsc.37.2.125}}</ref> A subsequent study of digital rights management for e-books by Gal Oestreicher-Singer and ] showed that relaxing some forms of DRM can be beneficial to rights holders because the losses from piracy are outweighed by the increase in value to legal buyers. Even if DRM were unbreakable, pirates still might not be willing to purchase, so sales might not increase.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2004/42/|title=Are Digital Rights Valuable? Theory and Evidence from the eBook Industry|author=Oestreicher-Singer, Gal and Arun Sundararajan|journal=Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems|year=2004|access-date=26 February 2011|archive-date=24 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724230919/http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2004/42/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Piracy can be beneficial to some content providers by increase consumer awareness, spreading and popularizing content. This can also increase revenues via other media, such as live performances. | |||
Also, free distribution, even if unauthorized, can be beneficial to small or new content providers by spreading and popularizing content. With a larger consumer base by sharing and word of mouth, the number of paying customers also increases, resulting in more profits. Several musicians {{Who|date=January 2019}} have grown to popularity by posting their music videos on sites like YouTube where the content is free to listen to. This method of putting the product out in the world free of DRM not only generates a greater following but also fuels greater revenue through other merchandise (hats, T-shirts), concert tickets, and of course, more sales of the content to paying consumers. | |||
Mathematical models suggest that DRM schemes can fail to do their job on multiple levels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Music Downloads and the Flip Side of Digital Rights Management|url=http://static.arstechnica.net/2011/10/11/mksc.1110.0668-1.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=12 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807021340/http://static.arstechnica.net/2011/10/11/mksc.1110.0668-1.pdf|archive-date=7 August 2019|author=Dinah A. Vernik|author2=Devavrat Purohit |author3=Preyas S. Desai |year=2011}}</ref> The biggest failure is that the burden that DRM poses on a legitimate customer reduces the customer's willingness to buy. An ideal DRM would not inconvenience legal buyers. The mathematical models are strictly applicable to the music industry. | |||
==== Push away legitimate customer ==== | |||
While the main intent of DRM is to prevent unauthorized copies of a product, there are mathematical models that suggest that DRM schemes can fail to do their job on multiple levels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Music Downloads and the Flip Side of Digital Rights Management|url=http://static.arstechnica.net/2011/10/11/mksc.1110.0668-1.pdf|url-status=dead|accessdate=12 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807021340/http://static.arstechnica.net/2011/10/11/mksc.1110.0668-1.pdf|archive-date=7 August 2019|author=Dinah A. Vernik|author2=Devavrat Purohit |author3=Preyas S. Desai |year=2011}}</ref> The biggest failure is the burden that DRM poses on a legitimate customer will reduce the customer's willingness to pay for the product. An ideal DRM would be one which imposes zero restrictions on legal buyers but imposes restrictions on copyright infringers. | |||
==Alternatives== | |||
In January 2007, ] stopped publishing audio CDs with DRM, stating that "the costs of DRM do not measure up to the results."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/78008/index.html|title=DRM on audio CDs abolished|author=Marechal, Sander|date=9 January 2007}}</ref> In March, Musicload.de, one of Europe's largest internet music retailers, announced their position strongly against DRM. In an open letter, Musicload stated that three out of every four calls to their customer support phone service are as a result of consumer frustration with DRM.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070318-75-percent-customer-problems-caused-by-drm.html|title=Musicload: 75% of customer service problems caused by DRM|author=Ken Fisher|date=18 March 2007|accessdate=20 March 2007|publisher=Ars Technica}}</ref> | |||
Several business models offer DRM alternatives.<ref name="infrastructure2000" /> | |||
===Subscription=== | |||
The mathematical models are strictly applied to the music industry (music CDs, downloadable music). These models could be extended to the other industries such as the gaming industry which show similarities to the music industry model. There are real instances when DRM restrain consumers in the gaming industry. Some DRM games are required to connect to the Internet in order to play them.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sinclair|first=Brendan|title=Ubisoft DRM games to be temporarily unplayable|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/ubisoft-drm-games-to-be-temporarily-unplayable-6349732}}</ref> ]' head of public relations and marketing, Trevor Longino, in agreement with this, believes that using DRM is less effective than improving a game's value in reducing video game infringement.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dobra|first=Andrei|title=DRM Doesn't Stop Piracy, Game Content Does, Good Old Games Believes|url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/DRM-Doesn-t-Stop-Piracy-Game-Content-Does-Good-Old-Games-Believes-237641.shtml|accessdate=12 July 2012}}</ref> However, TorrentFreak published a "Top 10 pirated games of 2008" list which shows that intrusive DRM is not the main reason why some games are copied more heavily than others. Popular games such as BioShock, Crysis Warhead, and Mass Effect which use intrusive DRM are strangely absent from the list.<ref name="Tweakguides: PC Game Piracy Examined: Page 4" /> | |||
Streaming services have created profitable business models by signing users to monthly subscriptions in return for access to the service's library. This model has worked for music (such as ], ], etc.) and video (such as ], ], ], etc.). | |||
==== Anti-competition practice ==== | |||
{{Expand section|date=June 2019}} | |||
The ] (EFF) and the ] (FSF) consider the use of DRM systems to be an ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2004/05/fairplay-another-anticompetitive-use-drm|title=FairPlay: Another Anti-competitive Use of DRM|publisher=]|accessdate=6 September 2012|date=25 May 2004}}</ref> | |||
==Alternatives== | |||
Several business models have been proposed that offer an alternative to the use of DRM by content providers and rights holders.<ref name="infrastructure2000">Committee on Intellectual Property Rights in the Emerging Information Infrastructure, National Research Council. (2000) "The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age." 3 May 2011. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9601#toc</ref> | |||
==="Easy and cheap"=== | ==="Easy and cheap"=== | ||
Accessing a pirated copy can be illegal and inconvenient. Businesses that charge acceptable fees for doing so tend to attract customers. A business model that dissuades illegal file sharing is to make legal content downloading easy and cheap. Pirate websites often host ] which ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://betanews.com/2014/04/30/surprise-surprise-almost-every-piracy-website-features-cyber-scams/|title=Surprise, surprise – almost every piracy website features cyber scams|work=BetaNews|access-date=8 October 2014|date=30 April 2014|archive-date=13 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013142627/http://betanews.com/2014/04/30/surprise-surprise-almost-every-piracy-website-features-cyber-scams/|url-status=live}}</ref> If content is provided on legitimate sites and is reasonably priced, consumers are more likely to purchase media legally.<ref name="infrastructure2000" /> | |||
===Crowdfunding or pre-order=== | |||
Comedian ] made headlines in 2011, with the release of his ] '']'' as an inexpensive (US$5), DRM-free download. The only attempt to deter unlicensed copies was a letter emphasizing the lack of corporate involvement and direct relationship between artist and viewer. The film was a commercial success, turning a profit within 12 hours of its release. Some, including the artist himself, have suggested that file sharing rates were lower than normal as a result, making the release an important case study for the digital marketplace.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://buy.louisck.net/news/a-statement-from-louis-c-k|title=Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater|publisher=Buy.louisck.net|date=13 December 2011|accessdate=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516115209/http://buy.louisck.net/news/a-statement-from-louis-c-k|archive-date=16 May 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ingram|first=Mathew|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-14/what-louis-c-dot-k-dot-knows-that-most-media-companies-dont|title=What Louis C.K. Knows That Most Media Companies Don't|magazine=Businessweek|date=14 December 2011|accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=chris hannay|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/why-louis-cks-big-payday-proves-the-internet-has-ethics/article4181150/|title=Why Louis C.K.'s big payday proves the Internet has ethics|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=6 September 2012|accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref> | |||
] has been used as a publishing model for digital content.<ref name="videogamer" /> | |||
===Promotion for traditional products=== | |||
Webcomic ] released a DRM-free PDF e-book on author R Stevens's 35th birthday,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57359936-264/a-new-drm-free-experiment-diesel-sweeties/|title=A New DRM-free Experiment: Diesel Sweeties|publisher=news.cnet.com|date=17 January 2012|accessdate=17 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dieselsweeties.com/ebooks//|title=Diesel Sweeties Webcomics Ebook|publisher=www.dieselsweeties.com|accessdate=17 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://boingboing.net/2012/01/17/free-pdf-of-the-first-diesel-s.html|title=Free PDF of the first Diesel Sweeties comic collection|publisher=boingboing.net|accessdate=17 February 2012|date=17 January 2012}}</ref> leading to more than 140,000 downloads in the first month, according to Stevens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dieselsweeties/diesel-sweeties-ebook-stravaganza-3000|title=Diesel Sweeties eBook-Stravaganza 3000 by Richard Stevens – Kickstarter|publisher=Kickstarter.com|accessdate=20 February 2012}}</ref> He followed this with a DRM-free iBook specifically for the iPad, using Apple's new software,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=737|title=An Experiment in iBookery|publisher=dieselsweeties.com|date=23 January 2012|accessdate=17 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407180255/http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=737|archive-date=7 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> which generated more than 10,000 downloads in three days.<ref name="dieselsweeties740">{{cite web|url=http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=740|title=iBooks Follow-up|publisher=dieselsweeties.com|date=26 January 2012|accessdate=17 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130163103/http://www.dieselsweeties.com/blog/?p=740|archive-date=30 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> That led Stevens to launch a ] project – "ebook stravaganza 3000" – to fund the conversion of 3,000 comics, written over 12 years, into a single "humongous" e-book to be released both for free and through the iBookstore; launched 8 February 2012, with the goal of raising $3,000 in 30 days, the project met its goal in 45 minutes, and went on to be funded at more than 10 times its original goal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dieselsweeties/diesel-sweeties-ebook-stravaganza-3000|title=Diesel Sweeties eBook-Stravaganza 3000|accessdate=17 February 2012}}</ref> The "payment optional" DRM-free model in this case was adopted on Stevens' view that "there is a class of webcomics reader who would prefer to read in large chunks and, even better, would be willing to spend a little money on it."<ref name="dieselsweeties740"/> | |||
Many artists give away individual tracks to create awareness for a subsequent album.<ref name="infrastructure2000" /> | |||
===Crowdfunding or pre-order model=== | |||
In February 2012, ] asked for an upcoming video game, '']'', for ] on ] and offered the game DRM-free for backers. This project exceeded its original goal of $400,000 in 45 days, raising in excess of $2 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adventure|title=Double Fine Adventure|accessdate=17 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.videogamer.com/news/double_fines_adventure_game_will_be_drm_free_for_backers.html|title=Double Fine's adventure game will be DRM free for backers|publisher=videogamer.com|date=16 February 2012|accessdate=17 February 2012}}</ref> In this case DRM freedom was offered to backers as an incentive for supporting the project before release, with the consumer and community support and media attention from the highly successful Kickstarter drive counterbalancing {{citation needed span|any loss through file sharing.|date=June 2013}} Also, crowdfunding with the product itself as benefit for the supporters can be seen as ] or ] in which one motivation for DRM, the uncertainty if a product will have enough paying customers to outweigh the development costs, is eliminated. After the success of ''Double Fine Adventure'', many games were crowd-funded and many of them offered a DRM-free game version for the backers.<ref> on theinquirer.net</ref><ref> on techspot.com</ref><ref> on technologytell.com</ref> | |||
===Digital content as promotion for traditional products=== | |||
Many artists are using the Internet to give away music to create awareness and liking to a new upcoming album. The artists release a new song on the internet for free download, which consumers can download. The hope is to have the listeners buy the new album because of the free download.<ref name="infrastructure2000"/> A common practice used today is releasing a song or two on the internet for consumers to indulge. In 2007, ] released an album named "]", in which fans could pay any amount they want, or download it for free.<ref>Monaghan, Angela. (2007). "Radiohead Challenges Labels With Free Album." Web. 10 May 2011. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2816893/Radiohead-challenges-labels-with-free-album.html</ref> | |||
===Artistic Freedom Voucher=== | ===Artistic Freedom Voucher=== | ||
The Artistic Freedom Voucher (AFV) introduced by Dean Baker is a way for consumers to support |
The Artistic Freedom Voucher (AFV) introduced by ] is a way for consumers to support "creative and artistic work". In this system, each consumer receives a refundable tax credit of $100 to give to any artist of creative work. To restrict fraud, the artists must register with the government. The voucher prohibits any artist that receives the benefits from copyrighting their material for a certain length of time. Consumers would be allowed to obtain music for a certain amount of time easily and the consumer would decide which artists receive the $100. The money can either be given to one artist or to many, and this distribution is up to the consumer.<ref>Baker, Dean. (2003). "The Artistic Freedom Voucher: An Internet Age Alternative to Copyrights." Pg. 2–8. Web. 3 May. 2011. http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/ip_2003_11.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516024418/http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/ip_2003_11.pdf |date=16 May 2011}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{Too many see alsos|date=June 2016}} | |||
===Related concepts=== | |||
*] | *] | ||
* |
*] | ||
*] | |||
* ] | |||
* |
*] | ||
* |
*] | ||
* |
*] | ||
* |
*] | ||
*] | |||
* ] | |||
*] | |||
* ] | |||
* |
*] | ||
*] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
===Lawsuits=== | |||
* '']'' | |||
* ''] ]'' | |||
* '']'' | |||
* '']'' | |||
===Organizations=== | |||
* ] – European Information, Communications and Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Associations | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ], a Swedish political party which is a proponent of free culture and free knowledge | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist|refs= | |||
{{Reflist|30em}} | |||
<ref name="infrastructure2000">Committee on Intellectual Property Rights in the Emerging Information Infrastructure, National Research Council. (2000) "The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age." 3 May 2011. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9601#toc {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120212259/http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9601#toc |date=20 January 2012}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
{{refbegin}} | |||
* ]'s '']'', published by ] in 2004, is available for . The book is a legal and social history of copyright. Lessig is well known, in part, for arguing landmark cases on copyright law. A Professor of Law at ], Lessig writes for an educated lay audience, including for non-lawyers. He is, for the most part, an opponent of DRM technologies. | |||
*]'s '']'', published by ] in 2004, is available for {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916145748/http://www.free-culture.cc/freeculture.pdf |date=16 September 2009 }}. The book is a legal and social history of copyright. Lessig is well known, in part, for arguing landmark cases on copyright law. A professor of law at ], Lessig writes for an educated lay audience, including for non-lawyers. He is, for the most part, an opponent of DRM technologies. | |||
* Rosenblatt, B. et al., ''Digital Rights Management: Business and Technology'', published by M&T Books (]) in 2001. An overview of DRM technology, business implications for content publishers, and relationship to U.S. copyright law. | |||
*Rosenblatt, B. et al., ''Digital Rights Management: Business and Technology'', published by M&T Books (]) in 2001. An overview of DRM technology, business implications for content publishers, and relationship to U.S. copyright law. | |||
* , published in 10 languages (Czech, German, Greek, English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Swedish), produced by the | |||
*, published in 10 languages (Czech, German, Greek, English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Swedish), produced by the | |||
* Eberhard Becker, ], Dirk Günnewig, Niels Rump: ''Digital Rights Management – Technological, Economic, Legal and Political Aspects''. An 800-page compendium from 60 different authors on DRM. | |||
*Eberhard Becker, ], Dirk Günnewig, Niels Rump: ''Digital Rights Management – Technological, Economic, Legal and Political Aspects''. An 800-page compendium from 60 different authors on DRM. | |||
* ]'s uses the following digital rights conjecture, that "digital rights increases the incidence of digital piracy, and that managing digital rights therefore involves restricting the rights of usage that contribute to customer value" to show that creative pricing can be an effective substitute for excessively stringent DRM. | |||
*]'s uses the following digital rights conjecture, that "digital rights increases the incidence of digital piracy, and that managing digital rights therefore involves restricting the rights of usage that contribute to customer value" to show that creative pricing can be an effective substitute for excessively stringent DRM. | |||
* Fetscherin, M., ''Implications of Digital Rights Management on the Demand for Digital Content'', provides an excellent view on DRM from a consumers perspective. {{cite web|url=http://www.dissertation.de/index.php3?active_document=buch.php3&buch=4731|title=Buch- und online Publikationen|publisher=dissertation.de|date=5 February 1998|accessdate=31 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205230016/http://www.dissertation.de/index.php3?active_document=buch.php3&buch=4731|archive-date=5 December 2010|url-status=dead}} | |||
*Fetscherin, M., ''Implications of Digital Rights Management on the Demand for Digital Content'', provides a view on DRM from a consumers perspective. {{cite web|url=http://www.dissertation.de/index.php3?active_document=buch.php3&buch=4731|title=Buch- und online Publikationen|publisher=dissertation.de|date=5 February 1998|access-date=31 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205230016/http://www.dissertation.de/index.php3?active_document=buch.php3&buch=4731|archive-date=5 December 2010|url-status=dead}} | |||
* '']'', a book with colorful illustrations and having a coloring book version, by 'MCM'. It describes DRM in terms suited to kids, written in reaction to a Canadian entertainment industry copyright education initiative, aimed at children. | |||
*'']'', a book with colorful illustrations and having a coloring book version, by 'MCM'. It describes DRM in terms suited to kids, written in reaction to a Canadian entertainment industry copyright education initiative, aimed at children. | |||
* ''Present State and Emerging Scenarios of Digital Rights Management Systems'' – A paper by Marc Fetscherin which provides an overview of the various components of DRM, pro and cons and future outlook of how, where, when such systems might be used. | |||
*''Present State and Emerging Scenarios of Digital Rights Management Systems'' – A paper by Marc Fetscherin which provides an overview of the various components of DRM, pro and cons and future outlook of how, where, when such systems might be used. | |||
* '''' – Richard Menta article on ] discusses how DRM is implemented in ways to control consumers, but is undermining perceived product value in the process. | |||
* |
*'''' – Richard Menta article on ] discusses how DRM is implemented in ways to control consumers, but is undermining perceived product value in the process. | ||
*'''' – PhD Thesis by Roberto García that tries to address DRM issues using Semantic Web technologies and methodologies. | |||
* Patricia Akester, "Technological Accommodation of Conflicts between Freedom of Expression and DRM: The First Empirical Assessment" available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=1469412 (unveiling, through empirical lines of enquiry, (1) whether certain acts which are permitted by law are being adversely affected by the use of DRM and (2) whether technology can accommodate conflicts between freedom of expression and DRM). | |||
*Patricia Akester, "Technological Accommodation of Conflicts between Freedom of Expression and DRM: The First Empirical Assessment" available at {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216045217/https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1469412 |date=16 February 2022 }} (unveiling, through empirical lines of enquiry, (1) whether certain acts which are permitted by law are being adversely affected by the use of DRM and (2) whether technology can accommodate conflicts between freedom of expression and DRM). | |||
{{refend}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Wikiquote}} | {{Wikiquote}} | ||
{{commons category}} | {{commons category}} | ||
* |
* Q&A: What is DRM? | ||
* |
* by ] | ||
* |
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208173800/http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/drm/faq.aspx |date=8 December 2010 |title=Windows Media DRM FAQ }} from Microsoft | ||
* |
*, by Cory Doctorow | ||
* |
* by Reckon LLP | ||
* |
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308232149/http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/ict/policy/doc/drm.pdf |date=8 March 2008 |title=Digital Rights Management }} from CEN/ISSS (European Committee for Standardization / Information Society Standardization System). Contains a range of possible definitions for DRM from various stakeholders. 30 September 2003 | ||
* |
* Article investigating the effects of DRM and piracy on the video game industry | ||
* |
* Information about DRM by ], ], ], ], and other organisations. | ||
* , by Adam Singer at Future Buzz media marketing | |||
{{FOSS}} | {{FOSS}} | ||
{{Intellectual property activism}} | {{Intellectual property activism}}{{Information security}}{{Broadcast encryption}} | ||
{{Broadcast encryption}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} |
Latest revision as of 17:02, 13 December 2024
Technology to control access to copyrighted works and prevent unauthorized copying
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Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM), such as access control technologies, can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM technologies govern the use, modification and distribution of copyrighted works (e.g. software, multimedia content) and of systems that enforce these policies within devices. DRM technologies include licensing agreements and encryption.
Laws in many countries criminalize the circumvention of DRM, communication about such circumvention, and the creation and distribution of tools used for such circumvention. Such laws are part of the United States' Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and the European Union's Information Society Directive – with the French DADVSI an example of a member state of the European Union implementing that directive.
Copyright holders argue that DRM technologies are necessary to protect intellectual property, just as physical locks prevent personal property from theft. For examples, they can help the copyright holders for maintaining artistic controls, and supporting licenses' modalities such as rentals. Industrial users (i.e. industries) have expanded the use of DRM technologies to various hardware products, such as Keurig's coffeemakers, Philips' light bulbs, mobile device power chargers, and John Deere's tractors. For instance, tractor companies try to prevent farmers from making repairs via DRM.
DRM is controversial. There is an absence of evidence about the DRM capability in preventing copyright infringement, some complaints by legitimate customers for caused inconveniences, and a suspicion of stifling innovation and competition. Furthermore, works can become permanently inaccessible if the DRM scheme changes or if a required service is discontinued. DRM technologies have been criticized for restricting individuals from copying or using the content legally, such as by fair use or by making backup copies. DRM is in common use by the entertainment industry (e.g., audio and video publishers). Many online stores such as OverDrive use DRM technologies, as do cable and satellite service operators. Apple removed DRM technology from iTunes around 2009. Typical DRM also prevents lending materials out through a library, or accessing works in the public domain.
Introduction
The rise of digital media and analog-to-digital conversion technologies has increased the concerns of copyright-owners, particularly within the music and video industries. While analog media inevitably lose quality with each copy generation and during normal use, digital media files may be duplicated without limit with no degradation. Digital devices make it convenient for consumers to convert (rip) media originally in a physical, analog or broadcast form into a digital form for portability or later use. Combined with the Internet and file-sharing tools, made unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content (digital piracy) much easier.
History
DRM became a major concern with the growth of the Internet in the 1990s, as piracy crushed CD sales and online video became popular. It peaked in the early 2000s as various countries attempted to respond with legislation and regulations and dissipated in the 2010s as social media and streaming services largely replaced piracy and content providers elaborated next-generation business models.
Early efforts
In 1983, the Software Service System (SSS) devised by the Japanese engineer Ryuichi Moriya was the first example of DRM technology. It was subsequently refined under the name superdistribution. The SSS was based on encryption, with specialized hardware that controlled decryption and enabled payments to be sent to the copyright holder. The underlying principle was that the physical distribution of encrypted digital products should be completely unrestricted and that users of those products would be encouraged to do so.
An early DRM protection method for computer and Nintendo Entertainment System games was when the game would pause and prompt the player to look up a certain page in a booklet or manual that came with the game; if the player lacked access to the material, they would not be able to continue.
An early example of a DRM system is the Content Scramble System (CSS) employed by the DVD Forum on DVD movies. CSS uses an encryption algorithm to encrypt content on the DVD disc. Manufacturers of DVD players must license this technology and implement it in their devices so that they can decrypt the content. The CSS license agreement includes restrictions on how the DVD content is played, including what outputs are permitted and how such permitted outputs are made available. This keeps the encryption intact as the content is displayed.
In May 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) passed as an amendment to US copyright law. It had controversial (possibly unintended) implications. Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov was arrested for alleged DMCA infringement after a presentation at DEF CON. The DMCA has been cited as chilling to legitimate users; such as security consultants including Niels Ferguson, who declined to publish vulnerabilities he discovered in Intel's secure-computing scheme due to fear of arrest under DMCA; and blind or visually impaired users of screen readers or other assistive technologies.
In 1999, Jon Lech Johansen released DeCSS, which allowed a CSS-encrypted DVD to play on a computer running Linux, at a time when no compliant DVD player for Linux had yet been created. The legality of DeCSS is questionable: one of its authors was sued, and reproduction of the keys themselves is subject to restrictions as illegal numbers.
More modern examples include ADEPT, FairPlay, Advanced Access Content System.
The World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty (WCT) was passed in 1996. The US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), was passed in 1998. The European Union enacted the Information Society Directive. In 2006, the lower house of the French parliament adopted such legislation as part of the controversial DADVSI law, but added that protected DRM techniques should be made interoperable, a move which caused widespread controversy in the United States. The Tribunal de grande instance de Paris concluded in 2006, that the complete blocking of any possibilities of making private copies was an impermissible behaviour under French copyright law.
2000s
The broadcast flag concept was developed by Fox Broadcasting in 2001, and was supported by the MPAA and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). A ruling in May 2005 by a United States courts of appeals held that the FCC lacked authority to impose it on the US TV industry. It required that all HDTVs obey a stream specification determining whether a stream can be recorded. This could block instances of fair use, such as time-shifting. It achieved more success elsewhere when it was adopted by the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB), a consortium of about 250 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers, and regulatory bodies from about 35 countries involved in attempting to develop new digital TV standards.
In January 2001, the Workshop on Digital Rights Management of the World Wide Web Consortium was held.
On 22 May 2001, the European Union passed the Information Society Directive, with copyright protections.
In 2003, the European Committee for Standardization/Information Society Standardization System (CEN/ISSS) DRM Report was published.
In 2004, the Consultation process of the European Commission, and the DG Internal Market, on the Communication COM(2004)261 by the European Commission on "Management of Copyright and Related Rights" closed.
In 2005, DRM Workshops of Directorate-General for Information Society and Media (European Commission), and the work of the High Level Group on DRM were held.
In 2005, Sony BMG installed DRM software on users' computers without clearly notifying the user or requiring confirmation. Among other things, the software included a rootkit, which created a security vulnerability. When the nature of the software was made public much later, Sony BMG initially minimized the significance of the vulnerabilities, but eventually recalled millions of CDs, and made several attempts to patch the software to remove the rootkit. Class action lawsuits were filed, which were ultimately settled by agreements to provide affected consumers with a cash payout or album downloads free of DRM.
Microsoft's media player Zune released in 2006 did not support content that used Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM scheme.
Windows Media DRM, reads instructions from media files in a rights management language that states what the user may do with the media. Later versions of Windows Media DRM implemented music subscription services that make downloaded files unplayable after subscriptions are cancelled, along with the ability for a regional lockout. Tools like FairUse4WM strip Windows Media of DRM restrictions.
The Gowers Review of Intellectual Property by the British Government from Andrew Gowers was published in 2006 with recommendations regarding copyright terms, exceptions, orphaned works, and copyright enforcement.
DVB (DVB-CPCM) is an updated variant of the broadcast flag. The technical specification was submitted to European governments in March 2007. As with much DRM, the CPCM system is intended to control use of copyrighted material by the end-user, at the direction of the copyright holder. According to Ren Bucholz of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), "You won't even know ahead of time whether and how you will be able to record and make use of particular programs or devices". The normative sections were approved for publication by the DVB Steering Board, and formalized by ETSI as a formal European Standard (TS 102 825-X) where X refers to the Part number. Nobody has yet stepped forward to provide a Compliance and Robustness regime for the standard, so it is not presently possible to fully implement a system, as no supplier of device certificates has emerged.
In December 2006, the industrial-grade Advanced Access Content System (AACS) for HD DVD and Blu-ray Discs, a process key was published by hackers, which enabled unrestricted access to AACS-protected content.
In January 2007, EMI stopped publishing audio CDs with DRM, stating that "the costs of DRM do not measure up to the results." In March, Musicload.de, one of Europe's largest internet music retailers, announced their position strongly against DRM. In an open letter, Musicload stated that three out of every four calls to their customer support phone service are as a result of consumer frustration with DRM.
Apple Inc. made music DRM-free after April 2007 and labeled all music as "DRM-Free" after 2008. Other works sold on iTunes such as apps, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows are protected by DRM.
A notable DRM failure happened in November 2007, when videos purchased from Major League Baseball prior to 2006 became unplayable due to a change to the servers that validate the licenses.
In 2007, the European Parliament supported the EU's direction on copyright protection.
Asus released a soundcard which features a function called "Analog Loopback Transformation" to bypass the restrictions of DRM. This feature allows the user to record DRM-restricted audio via the soundcard's built-in analog I/O connection.
Digital distributor GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) specializes in PC video games and has a strict non-DRM policy.
Baen Books and O'Reilly Media, dropped DRM prior to 2012, when Tor Books, a major publisher of science fiction and fantasy books, first sold DRM-free e-books.
The Axmedis project completed in 2008. It was a European Commission Integrated Project of the FP6, has as its main goal automating content production, copy protection, and distribution, to reduce the related costs, and to support DRM at both B2B and B2C areas, harmonizing them.
The INDICARE project was a dialogue on consumer acceptability of DRM solutions in Europe that completed in 2008.
In mid-2008, the Windows version of Mass Effect marked the start of a wave of titles primarily making use of SecuROM for DRM and requiring authentication with a server. The use of the DRM scheme in 2008's Spore led to protests, resulting in searches for an unlicensed version. This backlash against the activation limit led Spore to become the most pirated game in 2008, topping the top 10 list compiled by TorrentFreak. However, Tweakguides concluded that DRM does not appear to increase video game piracy, noting that other games on the list, such as Call of Duty 4 and Assassin's Creed, use DRM without limits or online activation. Additionally, other video games that use DRM, such as BioShock, Crysis Warhead, and Mass Effect, do not appear on the list.
Many mainstream publishers continued to rely on online DRM throughout the later half of 2008 and early 2009, including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Valve, and Atari, The Sims 3 being a notable exception in the case of Electronic Arts. Ubisoft broke with the tendency to use online DRM in late 2008, with the release of Prince of Persia as an experiment to "see how truthful people really are" regarding the claim that DRM was inciting people to use illegal copies. Although Ubisoft has not commented on the results of the "experiment", Tweakguides noted that two torrents on Mininova had over 23,000 people downloading the game within 24 hours of its release.
In 2009, Amazon remotely deleted purchased copies of George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) from customers' Amazon Kindles after refunding the purchase price. Commentators described these actions as Orwellian and compared Amazon to Big Brother from Nineteen Eighty-Four. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos then issued a public apology. FSF wrote that this was an example of the excessive power Amazon has to remotely censor content, and called upon Amazon to drop DRM. Amazon then revealed the reason behind its deletion: the e-books in question were unauthorized reproductions of Orwell's works, which were not within the public domain and that the company that published and sold on Amazon's service had no right to do so.
2010 – present
Ubisoft formally announced a return to online authentication on 9 February 2010, through its Uplay online game platform, starting with Silent Hunter 5, The Settlers 7, and Assassin's Creed II. Silent Hunter 5 was first reported to have been compromised within 24 hours of release, but users of the cracked version soon found out that only early parts of the game were playable. The Uplay system works by having the installed game on the local PCs incomplete and then continuously downloading parts of the game code from Ubisoft's servers as the game progresses. It was more than a month after the PC release in the first week of April that software was released that could bypass Ubisoft's DRM in Assassin's Creed II. The software did this by emulating a Ubisoft server for the game. Later that month, a real crack was released that was able to remove the connection requirement altogether.
In March 2010, Uplay servers suffered a period of inaccessibility due to a large-scale DDoS attack, causing around 5% of game owners to become locked out of playing their game. The company later credited owners of the affected games with a free download, and there has been no further downtime.
In 2011, comedian Louis C.K. released his concert film Live at the Beacon Theater as an inexpensive (US$5), DRM-free download. The only attempt to deter unlicensed copies was a letter emphasizing the lack of corporate involvement and direct relationship between artist and viewer. The film was a commercial success, turning a profit within 12 hours of its release. The artist suggested that piracy rates were lower than normal as a result, making the release an important case study for the digital marketplace.
In 2012, the EU Court of Justice ruled in favor of reselling copyrighted games.
In 2012, India implemented digital rights management protection.
In 2012, webcomic Diesel Sweeties released a DRM-free PDF e-book. He followed this with a DRM-free iBook specifically for the iPad that generated more than 10,000 downloads in three days. That led Stevens to launch a Kickstarter project – "ebook stravaganza 3000" – to fund the conversion of 3,000 comics, written over 12 years, into a single "humongous" e-book to be released both for free and through the iBookstore; launched 8 February 2012, with the goal of raising $3,000 in 30 days. The "payment optional" DRM-free model in this case was adopted on Stevens' view that "there is a class of webcomics reader who would prefer to read in large chunks and, even better, would be willing to spend a little money on it."
In February 2012, Double Fine asked for crowdfunding for an upcoming video game, Double Fine Adventure, on Kickstarter and offered the game DRM-free for backers. This project exceeded its original goal of $400,000 in 45 days, raising in excess of $2 million. Crowdfunding acted as a pre-order or alternatively as a subscription. After the success of Double Fine Adventure, many games were crowd-funded and many offered a DRM-free version.
Websites – such as library.nu (shut down by court order on 15 February 2012), BookFi, BookFinder, Library Genesis, and Sci-Hub – allowed e-book downloading by violating copyright.
As of 2013, other developers, such as Blizzard Entertainment put most of the game logic is on the "side" or taken care of by the servers of the game maker. Blizzard uses this strategy for its game Diablo III and Electronic Arts used this same strategy with their reboot of SimCity, the necessity of which has been questioned.
In 2014, the EU Court of Justice ruled that circumventing DRM on game devices was legal under some circumstances.
In 2014, digital comic distributor Comixology allowed rights holders to provide the option of DRM-free downloads. Publishers that allow this include Dynamite Entertainment, Image Comics, Thrillbent, Top Shelf Productions, and Zenescope Entertainment.
In February 2022, Comixology, which was later under the ownership of Amazon, ended the option of downloading DRM-free downloads on all comics, although any comics previously purchased prior to the date will have the option to download comics without DRM.
Technologies
Verification
Product keys
A product key, typically an alphanumerical string, can represent a license to a particular copy of software. During the installation process or software launch, the user is asked to enter the key; if the key is valid (typically via internal algorithms), the key is accepted, and the user can continue. Product keys can be combined with other DRM practices (such as online "activation"), to prevent cracking the software to run without a product key, or using a keygen to generate acceptable keys.
Activation limits
DRM can limit the number of devices on which a legal user can install content. This restriction typically support 3-5 devices. This affects users who have more devices than the limit. Some allow one device to be replaced with another. Without this software and hardware upgrades may require an additional purchase.
Persistent online DRM
Main article: Always-on DRMAlways-on DRM checks and rechecks authorization while the content is in use by interacting with a server operated by the copyright holder. In some cases, only part of the content is actually installed, while the rest is downloaded dynamically during use.
Encryption
Encryption alters content in a way that means that it cannot be used without first decrypting it. Encryption can ensure that other restriction measures cannot be bypassed by modifying software, so DRM systems typically rely on encryption in addition to other techniques.
Copy restriction
Microsoft PlayReady prevents illicit copying of multimedia and other files.
Restrictions can be applied to electronic books and documents, in order to prevent copying, printing, forwarding, and creating backup copies. This is common for both e-publishers and enterprise Information Rights Management. It typically integrates with content management system software.
While some commentators claim that DRM complicates e-book publishing, it has been used by organizations such as the British Library in its secure electronic delivery service to permit worldwide access to rare documents which, for legal reasons, were previously only available to authorized individuals actually visiting the Library's document centre.
Four main e-book DRM schemes are in common use, from Adobe, Amazon, Apple, and the Marlin Trust Management Organization (MTMO).
- Adobe's DRM is applied to EPUBs and PDFs, and can be read by several third-party e-book readers, as well as Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) software. Barnes & Noble uses DRM technology provided by Adobe, applied to EPUBs and the older PDB (Palm OS) format e-books.
- Amazon's DRM is an adaption of the original Mobipocket encryption and is applied to Amazon's
.azw4
, KF8, and Mobipocket format e-books. Topaz format e-books have their own encryption system. - Apple's FairPlay DRM is applied to EPUBs and can be read only by Apple's iBooks app on iOS devices and Mac OS computers.
- The Marlin DRM was developed and is maintained by open industry group Marlin Developer Community (MDC) and is licensed by MTMO. (Marlin was founded by Intertrust, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, and Sony.) Online textbook publisher Kno uses Marlin to protect EPUB books. These books can be read on the Kno App for iOS and Android.
Runtime restrictions
Windows Vista contains a DRM system called Protected Media Path, which contains Protected Video Path (PVP). PVP tries to stop DRM-restricted content from playing while unsigned software is running, in order to prevent the unsigned software from accessing the content. Additionally, PVP can encrypt information during transmission to the monitor or the graphics card, which makes it more difficult to make unauthorized recordings.
Bohemia Interactive have used a form of technology since Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, wherein if the game copy is suspected of being unauthorized, annoyances like guns losing their accuracy or the players turning into a bird are introduced. Croteam's Serious Sam 3: BFE causes a special invincible foe in the game to appear and constantly attack the player until they are killed.
Regional lockout
Main article: Regional lockoutRegional lockout (or region coding) prevents the use of a certain product or service, except in a specific region or territory. Lockout may be enforced through physical means, through technological means such as inspecting the user's IP address or using an identifying code, or through unintentional means introduced by devices that support only region-specific technologies (such as video formats, i.e., NTSC and PAL).
Tracking
Watermarks
Digital watermarks can be steganographically embedded within audio or video data. They can be used for recording the copyright owner, the distribution chain or identifying the purchaser. They are not complete DRM mechanisms in their own right, but are used as part of a system for copyright enforcement, such as helping provide evidence for legal purposes, rather than enforcing restrictions.
Some audio/video editing programs may distort, delete, or otherwise interfere with watermarks. Signal/modulator-carrier chromatography may separate watermarks from the recording or detect them as glitches. Additionally, comparison of two separately obtained copies of audio using basic algorithms can reveal watermarks.
Metadata
Sometimes, metadata is included in purchased media which records information such as the purchaser's name, account information, or email address. Also included may be the file's publisher, author, creation date, download date, and various notes. This information is not embedded in the content, as a watermark is. It is kept separate from the content, but within the file or stream.
As an example, metadata is used in media purchased from iTunes for DRM-free as well as DRM-restricted content. This information is included as MPEG standard metadata.
Hardware
US Cable television set-top boxes require a specific piece of hardware to operate. The CableCard standard is used to restrict content to services to which the customer is subscribed. Content has an embedded broadcast flag that the card examines to decide whether the content can be viewed by a specific user.
Implementations
- Analog Protection System (Macrovision)
- DCS Copy Protection
- B-CAS
- CableCARD
- Broadcast flag
- DVB-CPCM
- Conditional-access module
- Copy Control Information
- ISDB#Copy-protection technology
- FairPlay
- Extended Copy Protection (XCP)
- Content Scramble System (CSS)
- ARccOS protection
- Advanced Access Content System (AACS)
- Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM)
- Digital Transmission Content Protection
- High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP)
- Protected Media Path
- Trusted Platform Module#Uses
- Intel Management Engine#Design
- Cinavia
- HTML video Encrypted Media Extensions (HTML EME, often implemented with Widevine)
- Denuvo
- StarForce
- SafeDisc
- SecuROM
- SafetyNet
- Google Play Integrity
In addition, platforms such as Steam may include DRM mechanisms. Most of the mechanisms above are copy protection mechanisms rather than DRM mechanisms per se.
Laws
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The World Intellectual Property Organization supports the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty (WCT) which requires nations to enact laws against DRM circumvention. The WIPO Internet Treaties do not mandate criminal sanctions, merely requiring "effective legal remedies".
Australia
Australia prohibits circumvention of "access control technical protection measures" in Section 116 of the Copyright Act. The law currently imposes penalties for circumvention of such measures as well as the manufacturing and distribution of tools to enable it.
DRM may be legally circumvented under a few distinct circumstances which are named as exceptions in the law:
- permission of the rightsholder
- enabling interoperability with copyrighted software
- encryption research
- security testing
- disabling access to private information (circumvention only)
- national security or law enforcement
- library acquisition decisions (circumvention only)
- acts prescribed by regulation (circumvention only)
A person circumventing the access control bears the burden of proof that one of these exceptions apply.
Penalties for violation of the anti-circumvention laws include an injunction, monetary damages, and destruction of enabling devices.
China
China's copyright law was revised in 2001 and included a prohibition on "intentionally circumventing or destroying the technological measures taken by a right holder for protecting the copyright or copyright-related rights in his work, sound recording or video recording, without the permission of the copyright owner, or the owner of the copyright-related rights". However, the Chinese government had faced backlash from Nintendo over the heavy burden on law enforcement action against circumvention devices, stating that the police only view game copiers as infringing Nintendo's trademark, not as infringing copyright. In response, Nintendo obtained copyright registration for its software in 2013 to make it easier to make law enforcement against game copiers and other circumvention devices.
European Union
For broader coverage of this topic, see Copyright law of the European Union.The EU operates under its Information Society Directive, its WIPO implementation. The European Parliament then directed member states to outlaw violation of international copyright for commercial purposes. Punishments range from fines to imprisonment. It excluded patent rights and copying for personal, non-commercial purposes. Copyrighted games can be resold. Circumventing DRM on game devices is legal under some circumstances; protections cover only technological measures the interfere with prohibited actions.
India
India acceded to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty on July 4, 2018, after a 2012 amendment to the Copyright Act criminalized the circumvention of technical protections. Fair use is not explicitly addressed, but the anti-circumvention provisions do not prohibit circumventing for non-infringing purposes.
Israel
Israel is not a signatory to the WIPO Copyright Treaty. Israeli law does not expressly prohibit the circumvention of technological protection measures.
Japan
Japan outlawed circumvention of technological protection measures on June 23, 1999 through an amendment of its 1970 copyright law. The private copying exception does not apply if it has become available due to circumvention of TPMs, and circumvention of a TPM is deemed as copyright infringement. However, circumvention is allowed for research purposes or if it otherwise does not harm the rightsholder's interests.
Pakistan
Pakistan is not a signatory to the WIPO Copyright Treaty or the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Pakistani law does not criminalize the circumvention of technological protection measures.
As of January 2022, Pakistan's Intellectual Property Office intended to accede to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. However, there has been no major progress for Pakistan to accede to the treaties, and the timeline of the enactments of amendments to the Copyright Ordinance is unclear. As of February 2023, Pakistan's Intellectual Property Office was currently finalizing draft amendments to its Copyright Ordinance.
United States
Main article: Digital Millennium Copyright ActUS protections are governed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It criminalizes the production and dissemination of technology that lets users circumvent copy-restrictions. Reverse engineering is expressly permitted, providing a safe harbor where circumvention is necessary to interoperate with other software.
Open-source software that decrypts protected content is not prohibited per se. Decryption done for the purpose of achieving interoperability of open source operating systems with proprietary systems is protected. Dissemination of such software for the purpose of violating or encouraging others to violate copyrights is prohibited.
DMCA has been largely ineffective. Cirumvention software is widely available. However, those who wish to preserve the DRM systems have attempted to use the Act to restrict the distribution and development of such software, as in the case of DeCSS. DMCA contains an exception for research, although the exception is subject to qualifiers that created uncertainty in that community.
Cryptanalytic research may violate the DMCA, although this is unresolved.
Notable lawsuits
- DVD Copy Control Association, Inc. v. Bunner
- DVD Copy Control Association, Inc. v. Kaleidescape, Inc.
- RealNetworks, Inc. v. DVD Copy Control Association, Inc.
- Universal v. Reimerdes
Opposition
DRM faces widespread opposition. John Walker and Richard Stallman are notable critics. Stallman has claimed that using the word "rights" is misleading and suggests that the word "restrictions", as in "Digital Restrictions Management", replace it. This terminology has been adopted by other writers and critics.
Other prominent critics include Ross Anderson, who heads a British organization that opposes DRM and similar efforts in the UK and elsewhere, and Cory Doctorow. EFF and organizations such as FreeCulture.org are opposed to DRM. The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure criticized DRM's effect as a trade barrier from a free market perspective.
Bruce Schneier argues that digital copy prevention is futile: "What the entertainment industry is trying to do is to use technology to contradict that natural law. They want a practical way to make copying hard enough to save their existing business. But they are doomed to fail." He described trying to make digital files uncopyable as like "trying to make water not wet".
The creators of StarForce stated that "The purpose of copy protection is not making the game uncrackable – it is impossible."
Bill Gates spoke about DRM at 2006 CES, saying that DRM causes problems for legitimate consumers.
The Norwegian consumer rights organization "Forbrukerrådet" complained to Apple in 2007 about the company's use of DRM, accusing it of unlawfully restricting users' access to their music and videos, and of using EULAs that conflict with Norwegian consumer legislation. The complaint was supported by consumers' ombudsmen in Sweden and Denmark, and was reviewed in the EU in 2014. The United States Federal Trade Commission held hearings in March 2009, to review disclosure of DRM limitations to customers' use of media products.
Valve president Gabe Newell stated, "most DRM strategies are just dumb" because they only decrease the value of a game in the consumer's eyes. Newell suggested that the goal should instead be " greater value for customers through service value". Valve operates Steam, an online store for PC games, as well as a social networking service and a DRM platform.
At the 2012 Game Developers Conference, the CEO of CD Projekt Red, Marcin Iwinski, announced that the company would not use DRM. Iwinski stated of DRM, "It's just over-complicating things... the game... is cracked in two hours." Iwinski added "DRM does not protect your game. If there are examples that it does, then people maybe should consider it, but then there are complications with legit users."
The Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers opposed DRM, naming AACS as a technology "most likely to fail" in an issue of IEEE Spectrum.
Public licenses
The GNU General Public License version 3, as released by the Free Software Foundation, has a provision that "strips" DRM of its legal value, so people can break the DRM on GPL software without breaking laws such as the DMCA. In May 2006, FSF launched a "Defective by Design" campaign against DRM.
Creative Commons provides licensing options that encourage creators to work without the use of DRM. Creative Commons licenses have anti-DRM clauses, making the use of DRM by a licensee a breach of the licenses' Baseline Rights.
DRM-free works
Many publishers and artists label their works "DRM-free". Major companies that have done so include Apple, GOG.com, Tor Books and Vimeo on Demand. Comixology once had DRM-free works available for sale until 2022 when its parent company, Amazon, removed the option to buy DRM-free works as part of their migration to Amazon's website, although previous purchases remained DRM-free.
Shortcomings
Availability
Many DRM systems require online authentication. Whenever the server goes down, or a territory experiences an Internet outage, it locks out people from registering or using the material. This is especially true for products that require a persistent online connection, where, for example, a successful DDoS attack on the server essentially makes the material unusable.
Usability
Compact discs (CDs) with DRM schemes are not standards-compliant, and are labeled CD-ROMs. CD-ROMs cannot be played on all CD players or personal computers.
Performance
Certain DRM systems have been associated with reduced performance: some games implementing Denuvo Anti-Tamper performed better without DRM. However, in March 2018, PC Gamer tested Final Fantasy XV for the performance effects of Denuvo, which was found to cause no negative gameplay impact despite a little increase in loading time.
Robustness
DRM copy-prevention schemes can never be wholly secure since the logic needed to decrypt the content is present either in software or hardware and implicitly can be hacked. An attacker can extract this information, decrypt and copy the content, bypassing the DRM.
Satellite and cable systems distribute their content widely and rely on hardware DRM systems. Such systems can be hacked by reverse engineering the protection scheme.
Analog hole
Audio and visual material (excluding interactive materials, e.g., video games) are subject to the analog hole, namely that in order to view the material, the digital signal must be turned into an analog signal. Post-conversion, the material can be then be copied and reconverted to a digital format.
The analog hole cannot be filled without externally imposed restrictions, such as legal regulations, because the vulnerability is inherent to all analog presentation. The conversion from digital to analog and back reduces recording quality. The HDCP attempt to plug the analog hole was largely ineffective.
Consumer rights
Ownership restrictions
DRM opponents argue that it violates private property rights and restricts a range of normal and legal user activities. A DRM component such as that found on a digital audio player restricts how it acts with regard to certain content, overriding user's wishes (for example, preventing the user from copying a copyrighted song to CD as part of a compilation). Doctorow described this as "the right to make up your own copyright laws".
Windows Vista disabled or degraded content play that used a Protected Media Path. DRM restricts the right to make personal copies, provisions lend copies to friends, provisions for service discontinuance, hardware agnosticism, software and operating system agnosticism, lending library use, customer protections against contract amendments by the publisher, and whether content can pass to the owner's heirs.
Obsolescence
When standards and formats change, DRM-restricted content may become obsolete.
When a company undergoes business changes or bankruptcy, its previous services may become unavailable. Examples include MSN Music, Yahoo! Music Store, Adobe Content Server 3 for Adobe PDF, and Acetrax Video on Demand.
Piracy
DRM laws are widely flouted: according to Australia Official Music Chart Survey, copyright infringements from all causes are practised by millions of people. According to the EFF, "in an effort to attract customers, these music services try to obscure the restrictions they impose on you with clever marketing."
Economic implication
Trade-offs between control and sales
Jeff Raikes, ex-president of the Microsoft Business Division, stated: "If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us rather than somebody else". An analogous argument was made in an early paper by Kathleen Conner and Richard Rummelt. A subsequent study of digital rights management for e-books by Gal Oestreicher-Singer and Arun Sundararajan showed that relaxing some forms of DRM can be beneficial to rights holders because the losses from piracy are outweighed by the increase in value to legal buyers. Even if DRM were unbreakable, pirates still might not be willing to purchase, so sales might not increase.
Piracy can be beneficial to some content providers by increase consumer awareness, spreading and popularizing content. This can also increase revenues via other media, such as live performances.
Mathematical models suggest that DRM schemes can fail to do their job on multiple levels. The biggest failure is that the burden that DRM poses on a legitimate customer reduces the customer's willingness to buy. An ideal DRM would not inconvenience legal buyers. The mathematical models are strictly applicable to the music industry.
Alternatives
Several business models offer DRM alternatives.
Subscription
Streaming services have created profitable business models by signing users to monthly subscriptions in return for access to the service's library. This model has worked for music (such as Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) and video (such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc.).
"Easy and cheap"
Accessing a pirated copy can be illegal and inconvenient. Businesses that charge acceptable fees for doing so tend to attract customers. A business model that dissuades illegal file sharing is to make legal content downloading easy and cheap. Pirate websites often host malware which attaches itself to the files served. If content is provided on legitimate sites and is reasonably priced, consumers are more likely to purchase media legally.
Crowdfunding or pre-order
Crowdfunding has been used as a publishing model for digital content.
Promotion for traditional products
Many artists give away individual tracks to create awareness for a subsequent album.
Artistic Freedom Voucher
The Artistic Freedom Voucher (AFV) introduced by Dean Baker is a way for consumers to support "creative and artistic work". In this system, each consumer receives a refundable tax credit of $100 to give to any artist of creative work. To restrict fraud, the artists must register with the government. The voucher prohibits any artist that receives the benefits from copyrighting their material for a certain length of time. Consumers would be allowed to obtain music for a certain amount of time easily and the consumer would decide which artists receive the $100. The money can either be given to one artist or to many, and this distribution is up to the consumer.
See also
- Anti-tamper software
- Closed platform
- Digital asset management
- License manager
- ODRL
- Right to repair
- Software metering
- Software protection dongle
- Secure Digital Music Initiative
- Trusted Computing
- Web Environment Integrity
References
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Digital locks – also known as digital rights management (DRM) technologies or technological protection measures (TPM)
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Apple has filed a patent application on a technology for tethering rechargeable devices (like iPods) to particular chargers. The idea is that the device will only allow its batteries to be recharged if it is connected to an authorized charger. Whether this is good for consumers depends on how a device comes to be authorized. If "authorized" just means "sold or licensed by Apple" then consumers won't benefit – the only effect will be to give Apple control of the aftermarket for replacement chargers.
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focuses on bringing old, time-tested games into the downloadable era with low prices and no DRM.
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{{cite web}}
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Further reading
- Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture, published by Basic Books in 2004, is available for free download in PDF format Archived 16 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine. The book is a legal and social history of copyright. Lessig is well known, in part, for arguing landmark cases on copyright law. A professor of law at Stanford University, Lessig writes for an educated lay audience, including for non-lawyers. He is, for the most part, an opponent of DRM technologies.
- Rosenblatt, B. et al., Digital Rights Management: Business and Technology, published by M&T Books (John Wiley & Sons) in 2001. An overview of DRM technology, business implications for content publishers, and relationship to U.S. copyright law.
- Consumer's Guide to DRM, published in 10 languages (Czech, German, Greek, English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Swedish), produced by the INDICARE research and dialogue project
- Eberhard Becker, Willms Buhse, Dirk Günnewig, Niels Rump: Digital Rights Management – Technological, Economic, Legal and Political Aspects. An 800-page compendium from 60 different authors on DRM.
- Arun Sundararajan's uses the following digital rights conjecture, that "digital rights increases the incidence of digital piracy, and that managing digital rights therefore involves restricting the rights of usage that contribute to customer value" to show that creative pricing can be an effective substitute for excessively stringent DRM.
- Fetscherin, M., Implications of Digital Rights Management on the Demand for Digital Content, provides a view on DRM from a consumers perspective. "Buch- und online Publikationen". dissertation.de. 5 February 1998. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- The Pig and the Box, a book with colorful illustrations and having a coloring book version, by 'MCM'. It describes DRM in terms suited to kids, written in reaction to a Canadian entertainment industry copyright education initiative, aimed at children.
- Present State and Emerging Scenarios of Digital Rights Management Systems – A paper by Marc Fetscherin which provides an overview of the various components of DRM, pro and cons and future outlook of how, where, when such systems might be used.
- DRM is Like Paying for Ice – Richard Menta article on MP3 Newswire discusses how DRM is implemented in ways to control consumers, but is undermining perceived product value in the process.
- A Semantic Web Approach to Digital Rights Management – PhD Thesis by Roberto García that tries to address DRM issues using Semantic Web technologies and methodologies.
- Patricia Akester, "Technological Accommodation of Conflicts between Freedom of Expression and DRM: The First Empirical Assessment" available at Technological Accommodation of Conflicts between Freedom of Expression and DRM: The First Empirical Assessment Archived 16 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine (unveiling, through empirical lines of enquiry, (1) whether certain acts which are permitted by law are being adversely affected by the use of DRM and (2) whether technology can accommodate conflicts between freedom of expression and DRM).
External links
- BBC News Technology Q&A: What is DRM?
- Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks by Richard Stallman
- Windows Media DRM FAQ at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 December 2010) from Microsoft
- Microsoft Research DRM talk, by Cory Doctorow
- iTunes, DRM and competition law by Reckon LLP
- Digital Rights Management at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 March 2008) from CEN/ISSS (European Committee for Standardization / Information Society Standardization System). Contains a range of possible definitions for DRM from various stakeholders. 30 September 2003
- PC Game Piracy Examined Article investigating the effects of DRM and piracy on the video game industry
- DRM.info Information about DRM by Chaos Computer Club, Defective by design, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Software Foundation Europe, and other organisations.
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See also free-to-view and pay television |