Digital Rights Management, THE Guide to Legally Downloading

Digital Rights Management is something that protects the music industry from piracy, or illegal downloading.

                Digital Rights Management was created in 1998 by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to help fight against illegal file-sharing.  These files are not only audio files but also movies, pictures, documents, eBooks and more.  Even companies like iTunes had to modify its settings so that you could only transfer music between a certain number of computers and a certain number of CDs.  All of these precautions were put into place to ensure that all of those involved in the music industry get the amount of money they deserve.

Digital Rights Management works by shutting down programs/companies that allow illegal file-sharing but it is not very effective.

Digital Rights Management works through rules and regulations that make sure that illegal file-sharing stops.  For example, people around the world were able to download a program such as LimeWire that would allow you to download things without ever paying for it.  Limewire has been shut down since 2010 however, certain programs have found loopholes in Digital Rights Management that allow people to share with others.  BearShare for example, claims that they allow people to share files on a Peer-to-Peer basis which means that when you share or download a file, you are only sharing with one other person.  The reason this loophole works is because every person is allowed to share with one other person legally and BearShare is claiming to do that by saying they share via a Peer-to-Peer basis.  Essentially, Digital Rights Management is not very effective because music is continuing to be pirated, even Steve Jobs once said that “DRMs haven’t worked and may never work.”

Although I am not for DRMs, do not download illegally! DRMs may find you and fine you massive amounts of money!

Joel Tenenbaum

                Now although DRMs are annoying and we all want our music for free, it is a national law that they be followed and this means that you need to safely and legally download music.  Downloading music from any illegal file-sharing program or website can get you into a lot of trouble, just ask Joel Tenenbaum who was fined 675 thousand dollars for downloading and sharing 30 songs.  Do not share music illegally and do not download music illegally, I know people who have downloaded multiple thousand songs and I could only imagine what the penalty of that strong of an offense could be.