admin's blog

In the previous post, I discussed the issue of e-books and audio books in libraries.  One of the main problems with these formats is with digital rights management, commonly called DRM and resulting from the Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998 (see a simplified explanation here). While there is always a conflict between the users of information and the providers of it, the DMCA swings the pendulum in providers' favor.  The act criminalizes unauthorized distribution of digital content, which seems innocuous, but the law has been used to criminalize legitimate professions, such as crytography/cryptology or cryptanalysis.  It has also forced content producers to use proprietary software (to their cost) and causes a significant amount of trouble for legitimate users of digital content and for information technology professionals.  So what does DRM have to do with the library, or with digital access?