Digital content consumption is everywhere. From video-on-demand services like Netflix to video games stores like Steam, all of us consume various forms of digital content every day. This makes the creation and distribution of digital media a very lucrative industry.
But, as with everything, if there is money to be made, people will find a way to make money off of someone else’s product. This is where a DRM solution comes in.
DRM is one way a company can protect its Intellectual Property (IP) from IP theft.
Let’s take a deeper dive into DRM solutions.
What Is DRM?
A Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution is a set of tools that manufacturers build into their products to protect their digital creations. For instance, some games require a persistent internet connection to validate your copy of the game. If you bought an original copy of the game, the DRM tools built into the game will be able to tell that the copy is legit and not pirated.
On the other hand, if you try to play a pirated copy, you will not be able to play the game as the built-in tools will recognize the copy as violating copyright laws.
Similar to video games, DRM is also used by video and audio-on-demand providers like Netflix and Spotify to make sure that users are not taking advantage of their services.
For example, if you share a Netflix account with your family, you might have come across the “You have downloads on too many devices” error preventing you from downloading shows from Netflix. This reflects an aspect of the content provider's policy aimed at keeping users from abusing the service.
Spotify uses DRM to the same effect to define what you can and can’t do with their service, as do numerous other popular sites, services, and apps.
In short, DRM aims to protect digital creations from IP theft, copyright violations, and service abuse.
What Is Microsoft PlayReady DRM?
Microsoft PlayReady is Microsoft’s take on a DRM solution. Unlike DRMs designed specifically for one medium, PlayReady is an ecosystem designed to work with audio and video distribution as well as digital games distribution.
PlayReady gives content creators and distributors the tools to enforce content restrictions such as the number of installs of a game, the resolution of a video, and such. Using these tools, companies can enforce their content protection policies on a range of devices and operating systems.
Owing to its flexibility and the fully-featured nature of its ecosystem, Microsoft PlayReady is everywhere, especially when it comes to PCs.
How Does Microsoft's PlayReady DRM Work?
Just like any web-enabled service, PlayReady DRM consists of two basic components: a client and a server. Both of these components need to interact with each other to validate and authorize the use of digital content.
To understand how PlayReady DRM works, let’s take the example of a Netflix show. In this case, the client component of the process will be the Netflix app on your smartphone or computer.
The first step of the process happens behind the scenes. All Netflix’s content passes through an encryptor that encrypts the content and stores the decryption key in the DRM’s server. So, the client needs the key to decrypt the content before it can play it.
The decryption key also acts as a license that defines the restrictions imposed by the copyright holder on the content.
Now, when you open the app, it performs an authorization check to see if you have a subscription. If you do, you are let into the app. Otherwise, you have to register as a user and pay for the license to view that content.
Once the service authorizes you, you have the ability to choose the show you want to watch.
Let’s say you have opted-in to view shows only in Full HD. In this case, when you request a show from within the app, the server will see your request, read the DRM license that you have, and deliver shows only in Full HD resolution.
In other words, the PlayReady DRM will restrict your access to certain features depending upon the type of your subscription.
In short, when you hit that play button, the client will send a request to the server asking for the decryption key, aka the license to view the content. And once it receives the license, it decrypts and starts playing the video according to the restrictions outlined in the DRM license.
While this is the standard process, there will be differences depending upon the DRM implementation. For instance, Steam’s DRM only requires an internet connection when you install the game. After that, you can play the game offline.
Problems With DRM
While the main purpose of DRM licenses is to curb piracy, it is not an elegant solution for many reasons.
First, DRM licenses can be revoked at any time, for any reason, by the copyright holder. In this case, even if you have legally acquired a digital product, you will no longer be able to access it.
Second, some manufacturers use DRMs to restrict the number of times you can install the software. So, if you have more than one PC and the copyright holder doesn’t allow more than one installation at a time, you won’t be able to install the software on all of your PCs despite the fact that you’ve paid for it.
Finally, the topic of video game preservation is a major concern when it comes to DRM. As games move away from physical disks and rely entirely on digital distribution platforms, countless digital-only games could be lost if the servers governing the DRM licenses were to be shut down.
Taking all of these things together, DRM-free software and services are the way to go if we truly want to own our digital assets.
Microsoft PlayReady DRM Protects Digital Assets From Piracy
Microsoft PlayReady DRM aims to protect digital media from piracy by enforcing licenses that govern how a piece of digital content can be used. It uses a combination of a client and a server to deliver content and validate it for being legal.
And although PlayReady does manage to protect digital assets from piracy, there is a bigger discussion to be had about the future of DRM.