Evaluating DRM: Building a Marketplace for the Convergent World

As digital rights management technologies are increasingly integrated into media products, devices, and platforms, it is important for the public to understand the tradeoffs and choices associated with different DRM systems. With sufficient information, competition between different DRM offerings can help promote a marketplace for digital media products that is diverse and responsive to reasonable consumer expectations. This paper seeks to contribute to the public discussion and understanding of DRM in the media marketplace by systematically reviewing the types of factors that product reviewers, consumer advocates, and members of the public may want to consider when evaluating products incorporating DRM.