Digital rights management

Digital rights management (DRM) comprises technologies that control access to or use of digital content and devices, often to enforce copyright or licensing restrictions.

Encryption: The transformation of information into a form readable only with the appropriate key. DRM often encrypts content so playback depends on obtaining an authorized key.
Digital watermarking: A technique that embeds identifying or tracking information into digital media, sometimes invisibly. Unlike access-control DRM, watermarking can deter or trace copying without preventing it.
Streaming media: The continuous delivery and playback of audio or video over a network without requiring a complete local download. Streaming services commonly use DRM to limit playback to licensed devices and accounts.
Copyright: A legal framework granting creators or rights holders exclusive control over specified uses of original works. Copyright is the legal interest that DRM often aims to enforce through technical restrictions.
Anti-circumvention: Legal rules prohibiting the bypass of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. Anti-circumvention law can restrict bypassing DRM even when the intended use may be lawful.
Trusted Platform Module: A hardware security component that stores cryptographic keys and supports platform integrity checks. Some DRM systems rely on secure hardware to protect keys and verify playback environments.
Open format: A publicly documented digital file format that can be implemented without proprietary restrictions. Open formats can reduce dependence on DRM-bound players and proprietary access systems.
E-book: A book-length text distributed in a digital file or through an electronic reading service. E-book DRM can restrict copying, printing, lending, or reading on competing devices.
Digital ownership: The claimed possession and control of digital goods, accounts, or files under legal and technical rules. DRM complicates ownership by making access depend on licenses, platforms, and continuing authorization.
Fair use: A United States legal doctrine allowing certain unlicensed uses of copyrighted works under defined circumstances. DRM may technically block uses that could qualify as fair use under copyright law.

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