What is DRM?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the act of using technology to protect digital content, such as movies, music, eBooks or software applications. The main purpose of DRM is to control how content is used, shared and accessed by users both online and offline.

The history of DRM

One of the earliest forms of DRM was spearheaded by the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI). It was a forum formed by over 160 companies during 1998 which included; Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music, and Universal Music Group.

The aim of the SDMI was to create a new .MP3 format that would restrict the ability for others to replicate or distribute music without legal consent. Upon successfully enforcing this initiative, users caught illegally sharing or duplicating MP3 files would be in violation of the DMCA, and thus face legal action.

Since then, the concept of DRM has continued to evolve with advancements in technology and has been employed in various sectors such as digital movie streaming, software and publishing. More notably, this was triggered by the rise in popularity of online music stores such as iTunes during the early 2000s.  

What are the different types of DRM?

Digital rights management relies on a combination of technologies to enforce content protection and usage restrictions. Below is a list of common DRM methods used across industries.

• Encryption: the main foundation behind the growing number of DRM methods. Encryption allows a company to package its media content into a secure storage location which requires a special key to decrypt and access. Without this key, the media content is impossible to access. For example, when you decide to watch a film on Netflix, this triggers a process which decrypts your film from a scrambled code back to its original video format that you can stream. It’s common for businesses in the streaming industry to use one of three DRM systems to encrypt content. This includes Fairplay (IOS), Widevine (Android) and PlayReady (Microsoft).

• Digital watermarking: involves the use of embedding hidden signatures or marking files with unique identifiers. This method can be used to discourage others from using media without permission or paid attribution. Equally, applying this method is useful for tracking unauthorised use of copyrighted content across the internet. A prime example of this is stock image websites which require users to purchase media usage permissions to remove watermarks from a merchant's intellectual digital media content.

• License management: when you acquire digital content, such as downloading a software program or purchasing a font online, you usually receive a license with it. This outlines what you can do without the content such as the number of uses, expiration dates, or commercial use. Certain video and photo editing tools and software, for example, are deployed with a licence-based model to access their patented programme.

• Copy protection: restricts a user's ability to duplicate or download digital content without authorized permissions. Examples of this include video streaming platforms where users are unable to directly download, copy or paste rented video content to their personal devices.

• Online validation: a process that happens over the internet, to confirm the legitimacy of something, such as a licence, user account or digital transaction. Before a server grant users' access to something, it examines the provided information, comparing it with its own databases to verify accuracy and validate a request. A common example of this are prompts for e-mail verification codes. These act as a barrier which are used to confirm a user's identity prior to granting access into a system.

• Black screenshots: protects digital content such as video and imagery from being recorded by unauthorised individuals. This works by presenting a black screen to any user attempting to screen record or screen grab content from their device. An example of a business that employs this method to safeguard their content is Netflix.

How does DRM work?

In order to access DRM protected content, a specific flow of events must occur. In short, this process entails the following:

1. The content remains encrypted and thus inaccessible without the corresponding decryption key.

2. The required key is paired with a digital license that contains information regarding the usage rules and permissions of the requested content.

3. A verification process is initiated which aims to decipher the legitimacy of the user and their associated license. Only after successful authentication, the user is granted a permission token to proceed further.

4. Once the token of validation has been received, the system establishes that the user's device has necessary permissions, thus, the decryption process begins.

5. Once complete, the user should now have access to their DRM protected requested content.