Digital Rights Management is a tool to prevent e-piracy

21 August, 2012

Consumers are increasingly using the Internet for distribution of digital goods, including eBooks, e-articles, music and images. The ease with which digital goods can be copied and redistributed, makes the Internet well suited for unauthorized copying, modification and redistribution. The rapid adoption of new technologies such as high-bandwidth connection, wireless network, and peer-to-peer network is accelerating this process.

AS INDIAN players prepare to take plunge into the eBooks space, the need to protect the data becomes indispensable. All major players, be it a publisher or VAS provider, are taking risk to launch eBooks to explore potential of this virgin market. Hence, the utilization of Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems comes into play to control the use of digital content by preventing access, copying, credential forwarding or conversion to other formats by content users. DRM systems are intended to protect the rights of content owners. With Handygo being the pioneer in DRM space, we have ensured that all the systems and processes to secure the vast data and content under the eBook category of RockASAP should have been incorporated.

The industry is working hard to protect digital data but the current DRM systems still have a long way to go. They have to be made more viable in long term. Although Indian online book market slated to be around Rs 70 million, the eBook market in India is in nascent stage but with the reducing cost of devices, the market will burgeon.

Holding responsibility for more than 50 publishers and more than 5000 eBooks including both regional and English content, it becomes the duty to lead by example and Handygo has incurporated all the best practices in the DRM space to protect the data and it is the only Indian VAS provider to do so.

The Indian industry is resonating the fear passed on to them by their western counterparts on usage of DRM schemes on emerging markets and technologies. But the way we groom the customer and the industry through eBooks market, lies in our hands and we can actually be an example to the advanced world by setting right and fair practice in this domain.

What is Digital Rights Management or DRM?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a technology that can be applied to support content publishers, copyright holders and organizations to limit the viewing interaction of digital content across multiple platforms. The term is used to describe any technology that controls the use of digital content designated by the content owner and provider. DRM can also refer to viewer access and viewing restrictions associated with specific instances of digital works.

DRM technologies attempt to control use of digital content by preventing access, copying, credential forwarding or conversion to other formats by content users.

Digital Rights Management technologies have enabled publishers and any content provider to enforce access and viewing policies and permissions that not only disallow copyright infringements, but also prevent copying and unapproved creation of derivative works. DRM is most commonly used by the entertainment industry for protection from piracy of motion picture features and music recordings.

Computer games sometimes use Digital Rights Management technologies to limit the number of systems the game can be installed on by requiring authentication with an online server. Most games with this restriction allow three or five installs, although some allow an installation to be 'recovered' when the game is uninstalled.

Trade and Educational Publishers have been transitioning to digital Electronic books (e-books) over the last couple of years that are distributed and read on a personal computer or an e-book reader typically use DRM restrictions to limit copying, printing, and sharing of e-books. E-books are usually limited to a certain number of reading devices and some e-publishers prevent any copying or printing.

(About the Contributor: Praveen Rajpal, is CEO, handygo Technologies.)