Ars Technica reviews a recent UK consumer survey that contains some revealing opinions on the use of DRM.
Consumer Attitudes Toward DRM
One Comment
Recent Posts
When the Drumbeat of Intolerance Becomes Too Loud to Ignore: Reflections on Campus Antisemitism, Academic Freedom and My Global Technology Law Exchange Course 
Solomon’s Choice: Charting the Future of AI Policy in Canada 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation
I’ve always maintained that the DRM proponents have underestimated one important fact: traditionally “rights” have been an issue the consumer has never had to consider. It has been something that is fought and argued over by those in the business world and it doesn’t affect the consumer directly: once you buy a product it’s basically yours to do with what you want.
The only exception of this has been the audio/video “fair use” laws which have gone the consumer’s way and photocopying which everyone has happily ignored. Once you get into more complex rights management, the consumer as a whole is going to rebel, as shown by this survey.