UK Recommendations on DRM
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the focus of the the United Kingdom’s “All Party Parliamentary Internet Group” (APIG); and, these are the questions addressed:
1. Does DRM distort traditional trade-offs in copyright law?
2. Do new types of ‘content sharing licenses’ need legislation to be effective?
3. How should consumers be protected when DRM systems are discontinued?
4. What legal protections should DRM systems have from those who wish to circumvent them?
5. What role does the UK Parliament have in influencing the global agenda regarding DRM?
After many meetings and some testimony from interested stakeholders and consumers, the APIG acknowledged that the issues and answers to the questions had eluded easy answer in the complicated technical and ‘hugely fascinating’ area. The following, while not answers, are the APIG recommendations:
A. There should be wider ranging exceptions to the anticircumvention prohibition than presently are on offer;
B. Labeling should be mandatory to mitigate the current consumer confusion around what is permitted and prohibited in their using the digital content that they purchase.
C. Vigilence and care will be needed to preserve the ’single market’ aspirations when confronted with the differential pricing of DRM.
D. The strong position that the government NOT make DRM mandatory.