A Comeback for DRM?

by Mac Slocum | @macslocum | +Mac Slocum | Comment | 9 May 2008

Digital rights management (DRM) discussions abated in recent months as some companies gravitated toward DRM-free formats, but the calm came to an abrupt end yesterday when David Hughes from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) predicted a comeback for DRM. From News.com:

"I think there is going to be a shift," Hughes said during the Digital Hollywood conference. "I think there will be a movement towards subscription services, and (that) will eventually mean the return of DRM."

Rebuttals have been passionate and pointed.

Hughes also blended argument and counter argument, defending DRM while echoing the rallying cry of anti-DRM advocates:

"People just want music when they want it," Hughes said. "It's about access. If they get that then they don't care about DRM."

In a broad analysis, Ars Technica discusses the discrepancy between Hughes' "access" comment and current DRM realities:

The problem with DRM is that users can't use the files how they want, which is why they do care. And we're miles away from the kind of magical solution envisioned by Hughes that would create the perfect, unnoticeable DRM scheme. [Emphasis from original post]

A Comeback for DRM?

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