Week 4: Clear

This week in ISM 3004 we learned about Application Software and Multimedia. One concept that was very easy to understand was DRM- digital rights management. Producers of multimedia can use DRM to control the use of their products. Example of restrictions that can be placed on a product include:

• Restrictions on copying
• Restrictions on the number of devices that can play the file
• Expiration dates

DRM can be an extremely useful tool in the distribution of multimedia. Businesses or artists can use it to prevent the illegal sharing of files and ensure that they receive the appropriate profits due to their products. DRM, however, is not foolproof. It can easily be circumvented, so businesses cannot rely on it as a completely effective means to stop the abuse of their products. Also, those consumers who are honest and just want to use the files for their own use can be put off by the restrictions of DRM. It is a hard decision whether or not to use DRM.

There are several pieces of software that offer DRM removal. They claim to be legal, as long as you bought the original song and don't distribute it to others. One such program is DRM-Removal