- [Narrator] The creators of intellectual property
often go to significant expense
to develop high quality content,
but in the era of digital publishing,
it is now very easy for criminals to steal that information
and make unauthorized pirated copies.
Digital rights management, or DRM software mechanisms,
provide content owners with the technical ability
to prevent the unauthorized use of their content.
DRM uses encryption technology
to render content inaccessible to those who do not
possess the necessary license to view the information.
Over the years, content owners have
applied this technology to music, movies,
books, video games, and other electronic content.
The most well known example of DRM technology
is the use of encryption to protect music files.
Apple was one of the earliest adopters of DRM
when they applied FairPlay DRM technology
to music downloaded from the iTunes store,
but Apple later dropped this approach
when Apple cofounder Steve Jobs
made a very public statement that said, in part,
"If the big four music companies would license Apple
"their music, without the requirement
"that it be protected with DRM,
"we would switch to selling only DRM-free music
"on our iTunes store."
Although Apple no longer uses FairPlay
for music purchased on the iTunes store,
Apple and many other subscription-based music services
do use DRM technology to encrypt
music downloaded for offline use.
This technology then allows them to revoke access
to the music if the user cancels
his or her subscription to the music service.
Similar technologies use encryption
to provide digital rights management
for other entertainment media,
such as video games, e-books, and similar content.
Businesses may use DRM technology
to protect their own intellectual property.
They may purchase DRM solutions
that allow them to control access to trade secrets
and other sensitive business information,
limit the redistribution of that information,
and revoke the right to access information,
either after a predetermined period of time passes
or the user leaves the organization.