The Goals and Unintended Consequences of Digital Rights Management
17 Pages Posted: 14 Dec 2014
Date Written: October 1, 2014
Abstract
The article describes the working methods of the digital rights management (DRM) tools: how the system works, what protection it gives. It also shows that the DRM protection can be overcame by circumvention technologies which are currently forbidden by international and national legal instruments (WIPO treaties, EU directive, USA law). The article questions if such technologies really need to be protected by the legal means and if such protection does not go beyond the rights ensured by the copyrights.
The next part of the paper tries to point out the negative consequences of DRM protection (impediment of innovation, security risk problems, restriction of free speech). And the last part concludes the possible future trends in DRM field, what can be the future of these protection technologies?
Keywords: copyright, protection, digital rights management, DRM, USA Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), WIPO performance and phonograms treaty (WPPT), Directive 2001/29/EC, Copyright directive, circumvention, innovation, security, Sony BMG case, restriction of free speech, iTunes
JEL Classification: O34, O32, O31, O30
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation