Analysis: Copyright and DRM

Digital Rights Management is the copyright rules developing around the use of digital publication. Because the distribution methods are still evolving the best practices are as well. Two of the upsides of this are that the original creators best interests are in mind and done right they can reach a larger audience faster and with less resources. These concepts really help fledgling writers and publishers get there work out to the people that want it. The cons are that reproduction of digital material is easy for anyone with the most basic computer skills and distribution is just as easy. This makes it harder for the publisher to control access and the creator to profit from their works.

Piracy is always a factor when you start leaning more heavily on the digital side. A few of the ways publishers are combating this are by making the legitimate copies attractive to consumers. This can be accomplished by making it easily accessible through multiple platforms and in multiple programs. Another tactic is to ensure reasonable pricing and ease of access to the information. Some publications don’t need to worry about piracy because they are free and intended to be spread as far and wide as possible, but even these could be subject to copyright infringement. A publication may have information or photos that are protected or owned by a company.

The tactics mention earlier is preventative and may not always work. The perks of extra material may not be enough to keep people honest. It a publisher finds that their intellectual property is being offered on a site they did not approve they have the right to request it be taken down. If the site does not comply there are authorities in place to handle the dispute. This doesn’t stop the data from staying in the hands of those that already downloaded it, but it does protect the data from further piracy.

With the amount of information and extra content that can be added to digital publications it is easy to link extras to can be lost in casual piracy. It is also possible to add content to digital copies after they have been purchased. This would be a good way to entice people to buy the legal copy and a way for publishers to get new information and content out to their consumers.

 As potential future digital publishers is it important to know about the challenges and advantages currently facing the field. Knowing different techniques to detour piracy is helpful.