We have a great demand of movies, music, books to enrich our daily life. In the past, most people bought the CD, DVD copies or purchased the ticket for these media enjoyment. Nowadays, people get more choices, they turn to online stores such as iTunes, Google, Amazon and etc for popular movies, music or eBooks. It becomes much convenient, however, it also brings new troubles. The most important question is “Do you really own anything you bought with DRM?”. Unlike the physical item, you own it once paid. The digital media you purchased from big online media stores such as iTunes Store, Amazon, Google…, although you could watch, all you got is a kind of license to access them under some conditions.
It happens that you can’t read the eBooks bought from Amazon on iPad, you are unable to access iTunes movies apart from Apple devices, you are not allowed to listen to Apple Music via MP3 player as you like. Even you paid, you are limited to use the DRM items.
What is DRM? Why they are covered with DRM?
It seems that there are mysteries around DRM. So what is DRM? DRM, refers to Digital rights management (DRM), is a systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media. The purpose of DRM is to prevent unauthorized redistribution of digital media and restrict the ways consumers can copy content they’ve purchased. To make it simple, DRM is all about copyright protection.
The digital media holders, such as iTunes store, Amazon, use DRM as one way to protect the copyrighted work, prevent them from stealing. At the other side, they use it for making profit. Unfortunately, what often happens with DRM is that it penalizes the honest customers. Enabling DRM is like placing a lock on your book/movie/music. However, this “lock” keeps the honest people out (i.e. paying customers). This can be annoying to the customers.
What may happen with the DRM media items bought?
Many customers would like to have access to their purchased movies, music, eBooks on multiple devices. However, DRM prevents them from having access to the digital media out of its ecosystem. The worse, they may lose the bought media in some conditions.
Obviously, it is unfair to honest customers who just want to enjoy their purchased digital items on their own devices. Although it is clear that we rarely “own” the digital media when we buy it, are there anything we can do to get more controls of the bought media for personal legally usage?
What could do to make full use of the purchased digital media files?
For personal usage only, we share you some methods to make full use of the bought digital media items.
1. Record directly from your computer using a screen recording or audio recording tool. You will, of course, have to wait for the entire movie or song since it operates essentially like dubbing.
Tip: You’d better not operate anything on computer for it may interrupt the recording process.
2. Alternately, this problem may be resolved by involving DRM removal software that removes the DRM, not by hacking, but legally, so that it may be shared on multiple devices.
3. Convert the digital media into plain file format with video converter, audio converter or eBook converter. Thus, get a clean copy of the media file for freely enjoyment.
While it is possible to strip away all the DRM from the content you already purchased, it is even better to buy from sellers that don’t use DRM in the first place. That’s easier said than done, of course, as most major stores (iBooks, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc) all use DRM for their content.
Lisa Lee is a seasoned writer specializing in audio and video software reviews for 10 years. With extensive experience and a reputation for clear, unbiased analysis, she provides valuable insights to readers, aiding them in informed software choices. Lisa's professionalism and dedication enhance consumer understanding, enriching their digital lifestyle experiences.
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Do You Really Own Anything You Bought with DRM
We have a great demand of movies, music, books to enrich our daily life. In the past, most people bought the CD, DVD copies or purchased the ticket for these media enjoyment. Nowadays, people get more choices, they turn to online stores such as iTunes, Google, Amazon and etc for popular movies, music or eBooks. It becomes much convenient, however, it also brings new troubles. The most important question is “Do you really own anything you bought with DRM?”. Unlike the physical item, you own it once paid. The digital media you purchased from big online media stores such as iTunes Store, Amazon, Google…, although you could watch, all you got is a kind of license to access them under some conditions.
It happens that you can’t read the eBooks bought from Amazon on iPad, you are unable to access iTunes movies apart from Apple devices, you are not allowed to listen to Apple Music via MP3 player as you like. Even you paid, you are limited to use the DRM items.
What is DRM? Why they are covered with DRM?
It seems that there are mysteries around DRM. So what is DRM? DRM, refers to Digital rights management (DRM), is a systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media. The purpose of DRM is to prevent unauthorized redistribution of digital media and restrict the ways consumers can copy content they’ve purchased. To make it simple, DRM is all about copyright protection.
The digital media holders, such as iTunes store, Amazon, use DRM as one way to protect the copyrighted work, prevent them from stealing. At the other side, they use it for making profit. Unfortunately, what often happens with DRM is that it penalizes the honest customers. Enabling DRM is like placing a lock on your book/movie/music. However, this “lock” keeps the honest people out (i.e. paying customers). This can be annoying to the customers.
What may happen with the DRM media items bought?
Many customers would like to have access to their purchased movies, music, eBooks on multiple devices. However, DRM prevents them from having access to the digital media out of its ecosystem. The worse, they may lose the bought media in some conditions.
Obviously, it is unfair to honest customers who just want to enjoy their purchased digital items on their own devices. Although it is clear that we rarely “own” the digital media when we buy it, are there anything we can do to get more controls of the bought media for personal legally usage?
What could do to make full use of the purchased digital media files?
For personal usage only, we share you some methods to make full use of the bought digital media items.
1. Record directly from your computer using a screen recording or audio recording tool. You will, of course, have to wait for the entire movie or song since it operates essentially like dubbing.
Tip: You’d better not operate anything on computer for it may interrupt the recording process.
2. Alternately, this problem may be resolved by involving DRM removal software that removes the DRM, not by hacking, but legally, so that it may be shared on multiple devices.
The most popular DRM removal freeware
Ultimate list of DRM removal applications for movie, music and eBook
3. Convert the digital media into plain file format with video converter, audio converter or eBook converter. Thus, get a clean copy of the media file for freely enjoyment.
3 ways to convert Apple Music to MP3
5 methods to download Spotify music as MP3
While it is possible to strip away all the DRM from the content you already purchased, it is even better to buy from sellers that don’t use DRM in the first place. That’s easier said than done, of course, as most major stores (iBooks, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc) all use DRM for their content.
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By Lisa Lee •Blog • Tags: DRM Knowledge, DRM Removal