Digital Rights Management (DRM) Digital rights management (DRM)
refers to the use of technology to restrict copying or re-
distribution of digital files, usually audio and video. The ease
with which individuals can create perfect electronic copies has
led copyright holders—or commercial content providers—to use DRM
as a means to retain control over, and preserve the value of,
their works or economic interests.[top] The protections to
copyright holders offered by DRM can conflict with fair-use
provisions articulated in U.S. copyright law. The Digital
Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) prohibits bypassing DRM
technologies, even if the intended use could have been
considered to be fair use under law. The DMCA does provide
exceptions that allow one to copy DRM-protected works, but it is
still illegal to use software or hardware to unencrypt works,
which makes those exceptions rather meaningless in many cases.
Use of DRM has caused considerable controversy, especially in
the context of audio files. Some digital music p