Glossary

Definition: digital rights management (DRM)

What is digital rights management (DRM)?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the use of technology to control and manage access to copyrighted material. It helps individuals and businesses protect access to and use of their digital assets, which is necessary with today's technological advances.

DRM aims to protect the rights of the copyright owner and prevent unauthorized distribution and modification of content. It can save companies valuable time and money in protecting assets and also save lengthy legal proceedings when material is used without permission.

How does Digital Rights Management work?

Although digital content is covered by copyright laws, it is challenging to monitor the Internet for illegal activity. DRM thus takes a proactive approach to protecting digital assets by creating barriers to misuse in the first place.

Through DRM software, a digital barrier is formed between the asset and the person trying to access it. The use of this asset can be restricted in several ways. For example, users can be prevented from editing, sharing or taking screenshots of the asset. But locking documents to certain IP addresses or locations and watermarking files are also features DRM.

Many DRM tools work by using encryption or computer code embedded in the digital content to restrict access or use. These tools can determine the number of times, devices, people or time periods that content can be accessed or installed.

Such controls are:

  • Avoid editing and saving

  • Preventing forwarding and sharing

  • Prevent printing (or limit the number of prints available)

  • Watermarking documents with unique user information to establish an identity

  • Avoid screenshots

  • Revocation of documents

  • Locking documents to devices, IP addresses and country locations

  • Establish the use of assets. This includes recording by whom and when the file was viewed, saved or modified.

Some popular types of DRM strategies include: virtual private networks (VPN), software licenses and keys, proxy servers, user authentication and IP authentication protocols.

Why is DRM important to DAM?

With Digital Asset Management, you can easily store, organize, search, manage, share and analyze all your digital media and files from one central location in the cloud. This allows you to easily and effectively collaborate with colleagues, partners and suppliers. It is important here that your digital media and files are protected and stakeholders have access to relevant digital media. This is done using DRM.

Within a DAM system, access controls and user rights are used. You can link digital rights information directly to specific assets or groups of assets, giving explicit usage information to the right people, at the right time. In this way, you control who has access to what content and media. This protects your valuable brand assets and increases brand consistency. Keeping track of rules across a library of thousands of assets is an impossible job, whereas automating DRM with DAM is very simple: set it up once and you don't have to look back. Ideal for companies working with a large number of assets.

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