![]() ![]() They decide where you can use it and how. When a file is locked with DRM, it remains to some degree in the control of the copyright holder. There is however another reason to object to DRM and it is one that has been highlighted by a recent case involving the Amazon Kindle. Format shifting for personal use is not technically against the law, but the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents act does make it illegal to sell or publish tools to strip DRM protection from protected data in order to do so. This is something of a legal grey area in the UK. Other objections come from that small percentage of people who wish to format shift – buying a film, tune or book in one format and converting it to view, listen to or read on a different device. Then it becomes more of an irritation and those affected begin to wonder why a company’s desire to stop piracy seems to take precedence over their ability to use the goods they have paid for. Occasionally, a glitch occurs which exposes the DRM process – the authentication server goes down or your device can’t connect to it because you don’t have an internet connection, or perhaps a bug in the DRM software renders a game unplayable. (This protection is likely illusory – serious pirates have no compunction about breaking open DRM, which is usually a trivial process.) The copyright holders get a sense of protecting their works from piracy and things just sort of work. Most people are quite happy to buy a DVD to play in their DVD player, buy and read books on their Kindle or play Xbox games on their Xbox and just leave it at that. For the most part, though, DRM remains a niche concern. Usually that step is invisible to the consumer and is handled in the background by whatever device you are using to consume that content. Some copyright holders like it because it protects their intellectual property and many users of that intellectual property – readers, listeners, gamers and viewer – dislike it because it adds a layer of hassle to their enjoyment.ĭRM adds an extra step to consuming digital content. Much has been written about the pro and cons of Digital Rights Management (DRM). Is DRM really worth getting worked up about? Yes, it can be a bit inconvenient but are digital rights campaigners really just blowing hot air? Recent events suggest that they may have a point and might make you reconsider your next online purchase. ![]()
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