by Sheri Fink

Created on: February 06, 2007   Last Updated: August 23, 2011

Customers want convenient access to purchased digital products, while companies seek to protect their intellectual property from unauthorized use of duplication. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a type of server software created to enable secure distribution and to disable illegal distribution of digital content over the Internet. DRM technologies are being developed as a means of protection against the online piracy of commercially marketed material including audio, video, still images, and E-books.

DRM Infrastructure
Key aspects of an effective DRM system include:

• Data protection, so files aren't easily viewed without proper privileges
• Unique identification of each customer to ensure that rights are applied correctly
• Central management of rights to allow for free distribution, anti-fraud measures, & revocation
• Flexibility, so the system can be tailored to various business models (ie: rental, ownership, and read-only)

Challenges

There are many challenges still facing the DRM industry. These include both technological constraints, protection measures, and security issues. Because rights are generally managed on a central server, authorization often requires access to a license management server via the Internet. The unique identification requirement poses privacy issues for consumers. They may be concerned about how you're tracking their usage. In addition, DRM often requires running specific proprietary software on the client machine to unlock protected media.

DRM servers must be secure, as they will be housing license materials, customer information, and the protected media itself. Transmission between customers and the servers must also be encrypted to protect any customer information, licenses, and even the media itself while in transit. DRM systems must provide generous bandwidth to accommodate downloads, a secure and stable pay management scheme that doesn't permit errors like inaccurate billing, and an intuitive storefront that gives customers quick access to desired products. Regardless of the sophistication of DRM solutions, there will always be those who manage to defeat or exploit the mechanism.

Emerging Standards

For digital distribution to succeed, there must be broad interoperability between the different protection, commerce, and media management systems. Digital media providers must be prepared to deliver content using as many media formats and DRM architectures as necessary to reach the broadest possible audience. Development of industry standards is the only real solution for DRM interoperability.

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