Digital+Rights+Management

= DRM Digital Rights Management = toc Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the encryption of digital media to prevent unauthorized copying and distribution digitally formatted information. This is typically done through a variety of measures including restricing the number of copies that can be made, preventing copying altogether, or restricting access to a specific time period. DRM is currently a major controversy within the digital community as many forms are used to protect platform integrity as much as piracy prevention. Users want to be able to move their digital media from one platform to another, but are frequently prevented from doing so by DRM measures. The digital community has responded with numerous open source DRM removal tools and tutorials outlining how to remove DRM from digital media. Users argue that digital media files should not be limited to any one platform, and that users who purchase these files should be able to access them however they want to. DRM will continue to be a controversy until legal precedence has been established regarding digital copyright issues. There are new cloud applications that circumvent this issue by allowing access to digital media directly from the cloud through a variety of hardware.

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= What's the Big Deal? =

Information centers of all types will have to come to grips with the issues that DRM is bringing to the forefront. With the recent move toward digital access and archiving, rights management has become a major issue regarding access to information. Compounding the problem is the fact that producers and users are at odds about what the solution to the problem is. Critics argue that DRM of any type can potentially restrict access and interfere with fair use of information. Proponents state that the measures are needed because without them users would engage in widescale piracy. The concept is particularly challenging for information centers because they find themselves working with numerous technology platforms and delivery systems and each one may have different access rights. Information professionals in all settings must keep themselves apprised of the current policies regarding DRM to be able to appropriately counsel the communities they serve.

Examples
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**References**
Anderson, N. (2006, November ). Hacking digital rights management. Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2006/07/drmhacks.ars.

Brown, P. (2011, November ). What is drm?. Retrieved from http://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm.

Drm watch. (2011). Drm watch. Retrieved from http://www.drmwatch.com/.

Goff, A. (2006, October 10). Legally bound. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHfOPc0H6bc&feature=player_embedded.

Layton, J. (2011, January ). How digital rights management works. Retrieved from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/drm1.htm.

Voa learning english. (2011, November 02). Amazon launches e-book lending service. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36dvieN_Rt4&feature=player_embedded.