Digital rights management: Difference between revisions

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DVDs also feature the "Content Scramble System," which was cracked.<ref>http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/FrankStevenson/mail1.txt</ref> Later, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray would implement the Advanced Access Content System.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070302130221/http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/specs091/AACS_Spec_Common_0.91.pdf

</ref> The AACS key was similarly cracked, and the AACS Licensing Administrator began to issue cease-and-desist letters to websites to which the key was posted.<ref>http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=03218</ref>

</ref> The AACS key was similarly cracked, and the AACS Licensing Administrator began to issue cease-and-desist letters to websites to which the key was posted.<ref>http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=03218</ref> Another form of Blu-Ray DRM, called [[Cinavia]], exists, and it is known for its self-destructive tendencies.<ref>https://www.anandtech.com/show/5693/cinavia-drm-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-blurays-selfdestruction/2</ref>

To attempt to prevent ripping video via a capture card, modern displays, optical disc players, and computers use the High-Definition Content Protection system to encrypt display signals.<ref>https://www.digital-cp.com/about_dcp</ref> For example, [[Netflix 4K Stream Quality Controversy|Netflix will refuse]] to stream content at the full resolution that the customer has paid for if the user is not using an HDCP-enabled video card and display.

== DRM in Software ==

Most in the DRM discussion often correlate the usage of DRM to the protection of software in some form, from the simple product key, to the infamous [[Denuvo]] DRM. Historically, DRM started off with more simple physical techniques; decoder wheels and LensLok<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenslok</ref>. The efficacy of these systems varied, and many cracking groups simply found ways around this system, especially since 2nd-hand copies of software that used these primitive forms of DRM could easily become lost or damaged, or worse, not even function with some forms of hardware.<ref>https://www.eurogamer.net/banging-the-drm-article?page=2</ref> This has sparked essentially a game of cat and mouse that continues to fester especially for the gaming community to this day.

== Issues with DRM ==

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Audio DRM is even more trivial to bypass, as the audio must be decrypted into a plain analog signal at some point in order to drive the physical speakers or headphones.

=== DRM degradation ===

The development of some forms of DRM, such as Games For Windows Live<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_for_Windows_%E2%80%93_Live</ref>, are reliant on special processes within some operating systems that end up becoming unsupported or depreciated as time goes on. [[SecuROM]] is notoriously known for not running on operating systems newer than Windows XP<ref>https://www.lucadamico.dev/papers/drms/securom/ArabianNights.pdf</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20220226230919/http://www.reversing.be/article.php?story=20061015153108847</ref> and for those interested in playing their legitimate copies, have to spend an extensive amount of time merely circumventing the DRM (or otherwise using more illicit methods) just to merely play the games they own.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjkqI7dBDVg</ref>

This DRM degradation has the worst effects for those who own physical licenses to products that they own, since unlike a digital installation, if a physical copy of a game's DRM stops being supported by modern hardware, a developer cannot simply distribute a patch that directly modifies the code on a disc, and online patches cannot last forever.

=== Always-Online DRM ===

Some DRM requires a constant internet connection. While this may make sense in something that inherently requires an internet connection such as a streaming service or multiplayer-only video game, this has also been employed in games with single-player content, rendering the customer unable to use their purchase if they do not have an active internet connection.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/05/17/diablo-iii-fans-should-stay-angry-about-always-online-drm/</ref>

Some DRM requires a constant internet connection. While this may make sense in something that inherently requires an internet connection such as a streaming service or multiplayer-only video game, this has also been employed in games with single-player content, rendering the customer unable to use their purchase if they do not have an active internet connection.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/05/17/diablo-iii-fans-should-stay-angry-about-always-online-drm/</ref> Conversely, if operations are shut down for these services, users even with legitimate pieces of software they may own, and have access to the internet, simply cannot run their games without first needing to hack their games.<ref>https://keowu.re/posts/Rewriting-completely-the-GameSpy-support-from-2000-to-2004-using-Reverse-Engineering-on-EA-and-Bungie-Games/</ref><ref>https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/</ref> [[Ubisoft]] has historically been known for server shutdowns and transfers cutting off access to games for many players.<ref>http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html

[https://web.archive.org/web/20250000000000*/http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html Archive]</ref>

== References ==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 DVDs also feature the "Content Scramble System," which was cracked.<ref>http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/FrankStevenson/mail1.txt</ref> Later, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray would implement the Advanced Access Content System.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070302130221/http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/specs091/AACS_Spec_Common_0.91.pdf
-</ref> The AACS key was similarly cracked, and the AACS Licensing Administrator began to issue cease-and-desist letters to websites to which the key was posted.<ref>http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=03218</ref>
+</ref> The AACS key was similarly cracked, and the AACS Licensing Administrator began to issue cease-and-desist letters to websites to which the key was posted.<ref>http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=03218</ref> Another form of Blu-Ray DRM, called [[Cinavia]], exists, and it is known for its self-destructive tendencies.<ref>https://www.anandtech.com/show/5693/cinavia-drm-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-blurays-selfdestruction/2</ref>
 To attempt to prevent ripping video via a capture card, modern displays, optical disc players, and computers use the High-Definition Content Protection system to encrypt display signals.<ref>https://www.digital-cp.com/about_dcp</ref> For example, [[Netflix 4K Stream Quality Controversy|Netflix will refuse]] to stream content at the full resolution that the customer has paid for if the user is not using an HDCP-enabled video card and display.
+== DRM in Software ==
+Most in the DRM discussion often correlate the usage of DRM to the protection of software in some form, from the simple product key, to the infamous [[Denuvo]] DRM. Historically, DRM started off with more simple physical techniques; decoder wheels and LensLok<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenslok</ref>. The efficacy of these systems varied, and many cracking groups simply found ways around this system, especially since 2nd-hand copies of software that used these primitive forms of DRM could easily become lost or damaged, or worse, not even function with some forms of hardware.<ref>https://www.eurogamer.net/banging-the-drm-article?page=2</ref> This has sparked essentially a game of cat and mouse that continues to fester especially for the gaming community to this day.
 == Issues with DRM ==
@@ Line 30: / Line 33: @@
 Audio DRM is even more trivial to bypass, as the audio must be decrypted into a plain analog signal at some point in order to drive the physical speakers or headphones.
+=== DRM degradation ===
+The development of some forms of DRM, such as Games For Windows Live<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_for_Windows_%E2%80%93_Live</ref>, are reliant on special processes within some operating systems that end up becoming unsupported or depreciated as time goes on. [[SecuROM]] is notoriously known for not running on operating systems newer than Windows XP<ref>https://www.lucadamico.dev/papers/drms/securom/ArabianNights.pdf</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20220226230919/http://www.reversing.be/article.php?story=20061015153108847</ref> and for those interested in playing their legitimate copies, have to spend an extensive amount of time merely circumventing the DRM (or otherwise using more illicit methods) just to merely play the games they own.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjkqI7dBDVg</ref>
+This DRM degradation has the worst effects for those who own physical licenses to products that they own, since unlike a digital installation, if a physical copy of a game's DRM stops being supported by modern hardware, a developer cannot simply distribute a patch that directly modifies the code on a disc, and online patches cannot last forever.
 === Always-Online DRM ===
-Some DRM requires a constant internet connection. While this may make sense in something that inherently requires an internet connection such as a streaming service or multiplayer-only video game, this has also been employed in games with single-player content, rendering the customer unable to use their purchase if they do not have an active internet connection.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/05/17/diablo-iii-fans-should-stay-angry-about-always-online-drm/</ref>
+Some DRM requires a constant internet connection. While this may make sense in something that inherently requires an internet connection such as a streaming service or multiplayer-only video game, this has also been employed in games with single-player content, rendering the customer unable to use their purchase if they do not have an active internet connection.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/05/17/diablo-iii-fans-should-stay-angry-about-always-online-drm/</ref> Conversely, if operations are shut down for these services, users even with legitimate pieces of software they may own, and have access to the internet, simply cannot run their games without first needing to hack their games.<ref>https://keowu.re/posts/Rewriting-completely-the-GameSpy-support-from-2000-to-2004-using-Reverse-Engineering-on-EA-and-Bungie-Games/</ref><ref>https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/</ref> [[Ubisoft]] has historically been known for server shutdowns and transfers cutting off access to games for  many players.<ref>http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html
+[https://web.archive.org/web/20250000000000*/http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/121/1218211p1.html Archive]</ref>
 == References ==