Digital rights management is technical term for digital packaging. It is also a digital contract. An article I published earlier this week talks about the future of digital content that draws from both property and contract law. We should not be scared by contract law’s growing role in copyright. Nor should we attempt to provide affirmative consumer rights as a sort of public policy exception to certain contractual provisions. I write:
Most consumers would welcome the benefit of a DRM contractual bargain, but only if they perceive that the agreement is fair. What is a fair bargain in the marketplace and what is “fair use” according to copyright law are much different, though not necessarily conflicting, concepts. The legal conception of fair use is a loose definition that is a defense to infringement, often associated with free speech such as for criticism or parody. Fair use, in a colloquial sense, is often used as a proxy for consumer expectations and preferences–the desirability for backup copies, transfer to different hardware devices, etc.
Consumer expectations of “fair use” that extend beyond criticism, news reporting, etc. should also be defined by contract, not property law. Competition in the digital content market will dictate that consumer preferences be met.
Adam’s entry indicates that the market is working to utilize DRM with P2P and that the result will be pro-consumer. After all, a government that is big enough to provide affirmative content rights is big enough to restrict content (see the entry by James on broadcast censorship).
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