What is DRM? Explained simply and understandably
Everyone who wants to use media for publication should know what DRM is. DRM technology protects and helps file creators secure their property. For users, DRM is rather annoying. In this article we will tell you what the standard actually is and how the technology works exactly. We will introduce the basics, explain the techniques and show how you can protect your files with the help of DRM.
The term DRM sounds highly technical at first and seems to be important only for users who are technically interested. It is a digital process that allows creators to protect access to their content and the corresponding files and/or objects. But almost every user has already encountered such a digital protective measure in one way or another – be it in the form of a PDF file, an e-book that he could not open, or in the form of a piece of music or a film that persistently refused to start on the home system.
DRM: What is Digital Rights Management?
The abbreviation DRM stands for “Digital Rights Management”. A wide variety of digital files can be controlled and protected by their authors.
Among other things, songs, films, e-books and PDF files are provided with DRM protection. The information required for DRM protection is included with the respective file. It is stored as information within the files, similar to the title or year of publication.
DRM protection is also often found in online video stores. The DRM protection can thus, for example, stipulate that the downloaded film can only be viewed for 30 days, or can only be played once.
In theory, any file can be provided with DRM protection. The originator of the file can then decide which rights are granted. This includes, among other things, the rights to view, edit, borrow, pass on or copy files.
If content is protected by DRM, this security measure is usually difficult to circumvent. Depending on the file format, however, there are ways and means. However, doing so also violates the rights of the owner. Removing DRM from eBooks and converting DRM-protected MP3 files is comparatively easy.
DRM – just a harassment for honest users?
For this reason, many users initially see DRM measures as pure harassment and many publications do not shy away from talking about “DRM-infested” applications or even operating systems. Last but not least, this is due to protective devices that are faulty or at least prone to errors and make life difficult even for the honest user.
The BMG Sony company reached a sad climax in 2005 with an attempt to integrate a rootkit into audio CDs as a protective measure. As the system specialist and Microsoft evangelist Mark Russinovich was able to demonstrate with the help of his freeware RootKitRevealer, this software was not only illegally installed on the users’ systems, but also programmed so badly that it led to crashes and massive security gaps.
Nevertheless, it can sometimes make sense or even be absolutely necessary for content providers to protect their digital content from unauthorized access. Or to only make certain content available for a limited time – be it for reasons of topicality, copyright, the protection of minors or because a user should only access it during normal working hours. For example, a simple form of DRM found in every Windows system, since the media player is capable of protecting copied audio files by default.
What criteria should a DRM solution meet?
A digital rights management system must include certain capabilities and functions so that the content can be protected and managed. These include the following functionalities:
Management of access rights: Control of access to content. These functions must ensure that only authorized users can access the data.
Maintaining the integrity and genuineness (authenticity) of the data: Preventing the data from being altered and ensuring that it really comes from the sender/creator. What can the user do with the data? Can a user only view the data or also print and/or save it? It must also be possible to use the solution to define and control the periods during which he can access the data, as well as the locations and devices from which he can access the content.
Possibilities for billing: If the content is to be made available commercially, the rights management must in any case offer a connection to a solution for billing the use of the content or, better yet, provide this billing for the use itself.
Basically, the deployment and use of any DRM solution work according to the same principles and require the following steps:
- The file with the corresponding content (e.g. a document, a piece of music or a video) is encrypted using special software from the DRM provider.
- The user’s rights to this content are stored and managed on a rights server in accordance with the license agreements. This includes, for example, the permitted period of use, certain periods of use and the question of whether copies of the content may be made.
- The user can then access the file and its contents with the help of a program that can contact this rights server and control access. Since there are different DRM systems, access is often regulated via plug-ins for programs and web browsers or by appropriate support on the part of the operating system.
How to protect your digital content with DRM solutions?
Digital rights management is a set of solutions that track content and allow only authorized users to access that content.
Most DRM applications embed special code into a digital asset’s metadata so that license information can be quickly determined and appropriate permissions on the file can be controlled. It also allows files used without permission to be traced back to their source, which is particularly important in copyright disputes.
Accurately labeling copyrighted content allows a DRM system to add specific copy protection features such as digital watermarks, download restrictions, or device restrictions. Also, users may be required to use some form of authentication to access the file.
When organizations can control the use of licensed content, their valuable digital assets can be better protected.
How Digital Asset Management (DAM) uses Digital Rights Management (DRM)
While there are many types of DRM tools and strategies, the most effective solutions are built directly into existing content management systems. When creative teams work with digital assets, they don’t want to stop every few minutes to pull licensed content from another location.
Integrating DRM capabilities into digital asset management (DAM) platforms can better ensure file security, prevent asset misuse, and make it easier for organizations to protect against intellectual property-related copyright infringement.
Businesses of all sizes are increasingly using DAM solutions to bundle their digital assets into a unified source of information. Such systems make it easier to deliver content to people inside and outside the organization.
With DRM capabilities integrated, license information can be stored along with metadata for each asset. This ensures that anyone working with a particular element knows exactly how it may be used.
5 benefits of Digital Rights Management
Adopting DAM solutions that have built-in DRM brings several key benefits to creative teams and businesses.
1. Protect brand integrity
DRM protections allow organizations to regulate access to their digital content through a combination of watermarking and download restrictions. So creative teams don’t have to worry about their brand assets being reused elsewhere. Unauthorized content can be quickly identified and removed, so there are no ambiguities regarding the use of a brand image in the market emerge.
Most DAM platforms can add DRM protection to licensed content stored in the system, making it much easier to protect branded assets.
No business wants to face a copyright lawsuit for using unlicensed images. Using DRM tools, creative teams can ensure that all digital assets in their DAM system are properly licensed. This avoids potentially costly and embarrassing situations where someone uses a digital asset without permission.
3. Create more transparency regarding the use of licenses
In many cases, people are not even aware that they are doing something wrong when using copyrighted content without permission. While ignorance does not protect against punishment, the license status of digital assets is often difficult to determine. Thanks to DRM, companies ensure clarity regarding the licensing of the content stored in their DAM system.
4. Preserve revenue streams
Any unauthorized use of a company’s digital content represents a potential lost revenue. Whether that content is sold as part of a product or used for marketing purposes, it is central to an overall corporate strategy.
Digital rights management prevents these assets from being distributed without restrictions and thus resulting in loss of sales. Because version history can be easily tracked in a DAM system, it’s easy to figure out how an asset got “into the wild” and act accordingly.
5. Streamline creative workflows
Digitizing the management of licensed content removes a key bottleneck in content creation. Good DRM solutions work hand in hand with the DAM software behind the scenes to record and maintain the copyright status of digital assets.
As a result, creative teams spend less time figuring out what content they can use and more time actually creating new content that will positively impact business success.
Copyright infringement and its risks
Improper use of copyrighted or licensed material can expose organizations to serious liability, including fines and lawsuits. For example, in 2021, a photographer filed a $12 million lawsuit against video game developer Capcom for using 80 images without proper permission.
A $2.25 million lawsuit was also filed against Microsoft for using 15 images without the appropriate license.
While these examples are large, well-known companies, the same risks apply to individuals and small businesses. Getty Images in particular is notorious for using search programs to scour the Internet for unauthorized uses of images.
On the other hand, in the area of copyright, it is difficult to prevent unauthorized uses unless measures are taken to track and manage protected content. By adopting digital rights management (DRM) tools, creatives can prevent licensed content from being misused, protecting their digital assets from piracy.
Conclusion
Digital content is not only easy to handle, but also easy to copy. In today’s digital age, it’s easier than ever to take content from one source and reuse it elsewhere. Modern web browsers can download images, videos and other content files from anywhere, even if those files are copyright protected. While individual users are less likely to face legal repercussions for downloading a copyrighted image as a desktop wallpaper, the same cannot be said for creative teams using digital content for commercial purposes.