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<blockquote><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></blockquote>
<blockquote><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></blockquote>
== Why it is a problem ==
DRM, by definition, is designed to make content less compatible with devices. This means there is a higher likelihood of software or hardware refusing to play content due to buggy or overly restrictive DRM. For example, with the aforementioned Netflix HDCP requirement, it is not enough for the display you intend to watch the content on to support HDCP—all monitors connected to the system must support it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Netflix requires all monitors to be HDCP 2.2. How can I get around this? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1avkwtb/netflix_requires_all_monitors_to_be_hdcp_22_how/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How do I get Netflix working at 4k on my second monitor? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/mam2l9/how_do_i_get_netflix_working_at_4k_on_my_second/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How to use Netflix on your Windows computer or tablet |url=https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23931 |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Netflix Help Center}}</ref> This means that on PCs with multi-monitor setup PC, older but fully functional monitors cannot be used as secondary screens without violating Netflix’s DRM restrictions.
Such requirements are not always clearly disclosed. When they are, they are often buried in the Terms of Service or, in Netflix's case, require navigating through multiple FAQ pages. Furthermore, some content may surreptitiously install DRM without the knowledge or consent of the user, such as in the Sony Rootkit scandal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 Oct 2005 |title=Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far |url=http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussinovich/archive/2005/10/31/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights-management-gone-too-far.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317040653/http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussinovich/archive/2005/10/31/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights-management-gone-too-far.aspx |archive-date=17 Mar 2015 |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Mark Russinovich's Blog}}</ref> Such software may contain exploits that can compromise the security of the user's PC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krebs |first=Brian |date=10 Nov 2005 |title=Virus Writers Exploit Sony Anti-Piracy Software |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/virus_writers_exploit_sony_ant.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116191907/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/virus_writers_exploit_sony_ant.html |archive-date=16 Nov 2006 |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Washington Post}}</ref>
DRM in video games has frequently been implemented in an intrusive manner, hurting load times and performance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kessler |first=Ana |date=25 May 2023 |title=Testing Reveals Games with Denuvo Launch Up to Four Times Slower |url=https://80.lv/articles/testing-reveals-games-with-denuvo-launch-up-to-four-times-slower/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=80.lv}}</ref> This behavior has been more a result of negligent usage of the DRM rather than deliberate malicious intent.
DRM failures can also come as a surprise. For example, with a YouTube Premium subscription, you can "Download videos to watch offline", but such videos are only available for 48 hours without an internet connection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in select countries & regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=YouTube Help}}</ref> This creates confusion and problems, as users may want to download videos in anticipation of a period without internet access.
=== Ineffectiveness of audio and video DRM ===
It is nearly impossible to prevent copying of non-interactive content such as audio and video once it is distributed to the consumer.
Macrovision DRM can be defeated using a widely available time base corrector,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bought this box back in the early 90s to eliminate Macrovision copy guard on tapes - cost $49.95 back then. Decided to see if it still works by recording my Red Label Star Wars set to DVD. Still working it’s magic! |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/VHS/comments/so4xs5/bought_this_box_back_in_the_early_90s_to/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref> which strips out the signal that triggers the AGC on VCRs or Macrovision compliant devices.
Many HDMI splitters<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bypassing HDCP in 2024 |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/PS3/comments/19dohrh/bypassing_hdcp_in_2024/lbtqiky/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref> and capture cards<ref>{{Cite web |title=I bought a $40 capture card off Amazon and it seems to have hdcp bypass because my PS3 works directly with it. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/PS3/comments/19dohrh/bypassing_hdcp_in_2024/kj7cu60/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref> are capable of decrypting HDCP and copying the video stream. As long as at least one bypass exists at the HDCP level, all streaming content can be trivially ripped.
Audio DRM is trivial to bypass, as the audio must be decrypted into a plain analog signal in order to drive physical speakers or headphones.
=== DRM degradation ===
The development of some forms of DRM, such as [[wikipedia:Games_for_Windows_–_Live|Games For Windows Live]], are reliant on special processes within some operating systems that end up becoming unsupported or deprecated as time goes on. Legacy [[SecuROM]]-protected titles (released roughly between 1998 and 2005) are notoriously known for not running on operating systems newer than Windows XP<ref>https://www.lucadamico.dev/papers/drms/securom/ArabianNights.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@haggar |date=15 Oct 2006 |title=Unpacking SecuROM 4.xx |url=http://www.reversing.be/article.php?story=20061015153108847 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226230919/http://www.reversing.be/article.php?story=20061015153108847 |archive-date=26 Feb 2022 |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=www.reversing.be}}</ref>. Customers must spend an extensive amount of time circumventing the DRM (or using more illicit methods) just to play content they legitimately purchased.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baggs |first=Nathan |date=16 Jan 2025 |title=Hacking This Terrible DRM |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjkqI7dBDVg |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
This DRM degradation has the worst effects on physical licenses of products, as unlike a digital installation, if a physical copy of a game's DRM stops being supported by modern hardware, developers cannot simply distribute a patch to directly modify the code on a disc, and online patches cannot last forever.


==DRM in video content==
==DRM in video content==
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==DRM in software==
==DRM in software==
Most discussions about DRM often associate its use with some form of software restriction, from the simple product key, to the infamous [[Denuvo]] DRM. Historically, DRM started off with simpler physical techniques, such as decoder wheels and [[wikipedia:Lenslok|LensLok]]. The effectiveness of these systems varied, and many cracking groups simply found ways around them, especially since second-hand copies of software that used these primitive forms of DRM could easily become lost, damaged, or worse, fail to function with certain hardware.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitehead |first=Ben |date=15 Apr 2010 |title=Banging the DRM |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/banging-the-drm-article?page=2 |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=EuroGamer}}</ref> This has essentially sparked a game of cat and mouse that continues to fester, especially for the gaming community, to this day.
Most discussions about DRM often associate its use with some form of software restriction, from the simple product key, to the infamous [[Denuvo]] DRM. Historically, DRM started off with simpler physical techniques, such as decoder wheels and [[wikipedia:Lenslok|LensLok]]. The effectiveness of these systems varied, and many cracking groups simply found ways around them, especially since second-hand copies of software that used these primitive forms of DRM could easily become lost, damaged, or worse, fail to function with certain hardware.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitehead |first=Ben |date=15 Apr 2010 |title=Banging the DRM |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/banging-the-drm-article?page=2 |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=EuroGamer}}</ref> This has essentially sparked a game of cat and mouse that continues to fester, especially for the gaming community, to this day.
==Consumer rights issues with DRM==
DRM, by definition, is designed to make content less compatible with devices. This means there is a higher likelihood of software or hardware refusing to play content due to buggy or overly restrictive DRM. For example, with the aforementioned Netflix HDCP requirement, it is not enough for the display you intend to watch the content on to support HDCP—all monitors connected to the system must support it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Netflix requires all monitors to be HDCP 2.2. How can I get around this? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1avkwtb/netflix_requires_all_monitors_to_be_hdcp_22_how/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How do I get Netflix working at 4k on my second monitor? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/mam2l9/how_do_i_get_netflix_working_at_4k_on_my_second/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How to use Netflix on your Windows computer or tablet |url=https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23931 |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Netflix Help Center}}</ref> This means that on PCs with multi-monitor setup PC, older but fully functional monitors cannot be used as secondary screens without violating Netflix’s DRM restrictions.
Such requirements are not always clearly disclosed. When they are, they are often buried in the Terms of Service or, in Netflix's case, require navigating through multiple FAQ pages. Furthermore, some content may surreptitiously install DRM without the knowledge or consent of the user, such as in the Sony Rootkit scandal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 Oct 2005 |title=Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far |url=http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussinovich/archive/2005/10/31/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights-management-gone-too-far.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317040653/http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussinovich/archive/2005/10/31/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights-management-gone-too-far.aspx |archive-date=17 Mar 2015 |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Mark Russinovich's Blog}}</ref> Such software may contain exploits that can compromise the security of the user's PC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krebs |first=Brian |date=10 Nov 2005 |title=Virus Writers Exploit Sony Anti-Piracy Software |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/virus_writers_exploit_sony_ant.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116191907/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/virus_writers_exploit_sony_ant.html |archive-date=16 Nov 2006 |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Washington Post}}</ref>
DRM in video games has frequently been implemented in an intrusive manner, hurting load times and performance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kessler |first=Ana |date=25 May 2023 |title=Testing Reveals Games with Denuvo Launch Up to Four Times Slower |url=https://80.lv/articles/testing-reveals-games-with-denuvo-launch-up-to-four-times-slower/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=80.lv}}</ref> This behavior has been more a result of negligent usage of the DRM rather than deliberate malicious intent. 
DRM failures can also come as a surprise. For example, with a YouTube Premium subscription, you can "Download videos to watch offline", but such videos are only available for 48 hours without an internet connection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in select countries & regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=YouTube Help}}</ref> This creates confusion and problems, as users may want to download videos in anticipation of a period without internet access.
===Ineffectiveness of audio and video DRM===
It is nearly impossible to prevent copying of non-interactive content such as audio and video once it is distributed to the consumer.
Macrovision DRM can be defeated using a widely available time base corrector,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bought this box back in the early 90s to eliminate Macrovision copy guard on tapes - cost $49.95 back then. Decided to see if it still works by recording my Red Label Star Wars set to DVD. Still working it’s magic! |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/VHS/comments/so4xs5/bought_this_box_back_in_the_early_90s_to/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref> which strips out the signal that triggers the AGC on VCRs or Macrovision compliant devices.
Many HDMI splitters<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bypassing HDCP in 2024 |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/PS3/comments/19dohrh/bypassing_hdcp_in_2024/lbtqiky/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}</ref> and capture cards<ref>{{Cite web |title=I bought a $40 capture card off Amazon and it seems to have hdcp bypass because my PS3 works directly with it. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/PS3/comments/19dohrh/bypassing_hdcp_in_2024/kj7cu60/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Old Reddit}}
</ref> are capable of decrypting HDCP and copying the video stream. As long as at least one bypass exists at the HDCP level, all streaming content can be trivially ripped.
Audio DRM is trivial to bypass, as the audio must be decrypted into a plain analog signal in order to drive physical speakers or headphones.
===DRM degradation===
The development of some forms of DRM, such as [[wikipedia:Games_for_Windows_–_Live|Games For Windows Live]], are reliant on special processes within some operating systems that end up becoming unsupported or deprecated as time goes on. Legacy [[SecuROM]]-protected titles (released roughly between 1998 and 2005) are notoriously known for not running on operating systems newer than Windows XP<ref>https://www.lucadamico.dev/papers/drms/securom/ArabianNights.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@haggar |date=15 Oct 2006 |title=Unpacking SecuROM 4.xx |url=http://www.reversing.be/article.php?story=20061015153108847 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226230919/http://www.reversing.be/article.php?story=20061015153108847 |archive-date=26 Feb 2022 |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=www.reversing.be}}</ref>. Customers must spend an extensive amount of time circumventing the DRM (or using more illicit methods) just to play content they legitimately purchased.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baggs |first=Nathan |date=16 Jan 2025 |title=Hacking This Terrible DRM |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjkqI7dBDVg |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
This DRM degradation has the worst effects on physical licenses of products, as unlike a digital installation, if a physical copy of a game's DRM stops being supported by modern hardware, developers cannot simply distribute a patch to directly modify the code on a disc, and online patches cannot last forever.


===Always-online DRM===
===Always-online DRM===
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[https://web.archive.org/web/20250000000000*/http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html Archive]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharkey |first=Mike |date=8 Feb 2012 |title=Ubisoft DRM Locks Out Paying Customers |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=GameSpy}}</ref> Encrypted [[ATSC 3.0]] channels cannot be tuned to without a persistent internet connection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seidman |first=Lon |date=3 Sep 2023 |title=The ADTH Nextgen TV Box Shows Us Just How Bad ATSC 3.0 Encryption Will Be.. |url=https://blog.lon.tv/2023/09/03/the-adth-nextgen-tv-box-shows-us-just-how-bad-atsc-3-0-encrpytion-will-be/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Lon.tv}}</ref>
[https://web.archive.org/web/20250000000000*/http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html Archive]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharkey |first=Mike |date=8 Feb 2012 |title=Ubisoft DRM Locks Out Paying Customers |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=GameSpy}}</ref> Encrypted [[ATSC 3.0]] channels cannot be tuned to without a persistent internet connection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seidman |first=Lon |date=3 Sep 2023 |title=The ADTH Nextgen TV Box Shows Us Just How Bad ATSC 3.0 Encryption Will Be.. |url=https://blog.lon.tv/2023/09/03/the-adth-nextgen-tv-box-shows-us-just-how-bad-atsc-3-0-encrpytion-will-be/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 Apr 2025 |website=Lon.tv}}</ref>


==DRM present elsewhere==
==DRM present elsewhere==
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