Digital rights management: Difference between revisions

Wilh3lm (talk | contribs)
Changes in wording - it is not "protection" it is restriction.
Reverted certain uses of restriction as they obfuscated the common meaning of certain elements, and added a comment
 
Line 2: Line 2:
[[Category:Anti-Consumer_Practices]]
[[Category:Anti-Consumer_Practices]]
[[Category:Common terms]]
[[Category:Common terms]]
 
<!-- In general, this article has an issue with presuming the audience's knowledge. it should not throw around the names of current or past DRM schemes, or technical concepts such as video ripping or capture cards, as if the audience will be automatically familiar with them. If it would overbloat the article to include such explanations, then Wikipedia links should be provided -->
[[wikipedia:Digital_rights_management|'''Digital rights management''']] (DRM), also called '''digital restrictions management'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |title=Opposing Digital Rights Mismanagement |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/opposing-drm.en.html |archive-url=https://archive.is/XwqaH |archive-date=2023-05-02}}</ref> broadly refers to any kind of access control technology that is used to deliberately restrict the usage of media content or devices after the sale. It is typically used by a seller to prevent unauthorized distribution or replication of their product. Implementations of DRM can range from very simple (such as a basic disc check) to extremely complex executable binary obfuscation (such as Denuvo).   
[[wikipedia:Digital_rights_management|'''Digital rights management''']] (DRM), alternatively known as '''digital restrictions management'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |title=Opposing Digital Rights Mismanagement |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/opposing-drm.en.html |archive-url=https://archive.is/XwqaH |archive-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>, broadly refers to any kind of access control technology that is used to deliberately restrict the usage of media content or devices after the sale. It is typically used by a seller to prevent unauthorized distribution or replication of their product. Implementations of DRM can range from very simple (such as a basic disc check) to extremely complex executable binary obfuscation (such as Denuvo).   


{{Quote|<I>DRM creates a damaged good; it prevents you from doing what would be possible without it. – Defective by Design</I><ref>https://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm</ref>}}
{{Quote|<I>DRM creates a damaged good; it prevents you from doing what would be possible without it. – Defective by Design</I><ref>https://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm</ref>}}
Line 9: Line 9:
==DRM in video content==
==DRM in video content==


Attempting to restrict video content is one of the most common uses of DRM. The idea of using copy obstruction on video content predates the term "DRM", one early example being the "Automatic Gain Control" requirement in VCRs used to enforce the "Macrovision" restriction scheme.<ref>[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/1201#k_1_A 17 U.S. Code § 1201 - Circumvention of copyright protection systems, K.1.A.i]</ref><ref>[https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/cs181/projects/1999-00/dmca-2k/macrovision.html Macrovision Demystified], Stanford CS181. </ref> This requirement resulted in VCRs and compliant analog to DV capture cards not being able to record commercial VHS tapes{{citation needed}}.
Attempting to prevent the copying of video content is one of the most common and long-standing uses of DRM. The idea of using copy obstruction on video content predates the term "DRM", one early example being the "Automatic Gain Control" requirement in VCRs used to enforce the "Macrovision" copy-protection scheme.<ref>[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/1201#k_1_A 17 U.S. Code § 1201 - Circumvention of copyright protection systems, K.1.A.i]</ref><ref>[https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/cs181/projects/1999-00/dmca-2k/macrovision.html Macrovision Demystified], Stanford CS181. </ref> This requirement resulted in VCRs and compliant analog to DV capture cards not being able to record commercial VHS tapes{{citation needed}}.


From 1996, DVDs began to feature the "Content Scramble System" (CSS), an encryption based DRM. CSS was successfully circumvented as early as 1999, less than five years after its introduction, partly due to the limited length of the 40-bit encryption key, which was used to comply with US government export regulations of the time.<ref>http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/FrankStevenson/mail1.txt</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000302000206/http://www.dvd-copy.com/news/cryptanalysis_of_contents_scrambling_system.htm "Cryptanalysis of Contents Scrambling System", Frank A. Stevenson, archived from dvd-copy.com]</ref> Following this, DVDs as well as HD-DVDs and Blu-Rays would implement other types of DRM, one of them being the "Advanced Access Content System".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advanced Access Content System (AACS) |url=http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/specs091/AACS_Spec_Common_0.91.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302130221/http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/specs091/AACS_Spec_Common_0.91.pdf |archive-date=2 Mar 2007 |access-date=20 Apr 2025}}
From 1996, DVDs began to feature the "Content Scramble System" (CSS), an encryption based DRM. CSS was successfully circumvented as early as 1999, less than five years after its introduction, partly due to the limited length of the 40-bit encryption key, which was used to comply with US government export regulations of the time.<ref>http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/FrankStevenson/mail1.txt</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000302000206/http://www.dvd-copy.com/news/cryptanalysis_of_contents_scrambling_system.htm "Cryptanalysis of Contents Scrambling System", Frank A. Stevenson, archived from dvd-copy.com]</ref> Following this, DVDs as well as HD-DVDs and Blu-Rays would implement other types of DRM, one of them being the "Advanced Access Content System".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advanced Access Content System (AACS) |url=http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/specs091/AACS_Spec_Common_0.91.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302130221/http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/specs091/AACS_Spec_Common_0.91.pdf |archive-date=2 Mar 2007 |access-date=20 Apr 2025}}