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A Brief History of Failed Digital Rights Management Schemes

Posted by timothy on from the file-formats-rule-the-world dept.

antdude points out this article at opensource.com on the "graveyard" of digital rights management schemes — the death of each of which has left customers out in the cold. An excerpt: "There are more than a few reasons digital rights management (DRM) has been largely unsuccessful. But the easiest way to explain to a consumer why DRM doesn't work is to put it in terms he understands: 'What happens to the music you paid for if that company changes its mind?' It was one thing when it was a theoretical question. Now it's a historical one ..."

3 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Some changes were quite good ... by perpenso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What happens to the music you paid for if that company changes its mind?

    Well in the Apple iTunes case the audio quality was improved and the DRM was also removed.

  2. What do you mean it didn't work? by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What do you mean it didn't work? DRM schemes such as Microsoft's "Play Anywhere" are abandoned and then the customer who paid good money for the music has to buy it again if they still want it,. DRM works exactly as planned and intended/

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  3. Apple's FairPlay didn't "fail" by DavidinAla · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's insane to call Apple's FairPlay DRM a failed system, as the item for this says. The system did exactly what it was supposed to do. It allowed Apple to start legally selling something that the record labels wouldn't allow without it and then it was taken away when the labels agreed to go without it. The system worked as advertised. It achieved the goals of building a market for legal music. And then it went away. It was very successful and then it was retired when it was no longer needed.