Transnational advocacy network opposing DRM ‐ A technical and legal challenge to media companies

Abstract

Organized transnational political and technological activism ‐ here referred to as transnational advocacy networks ‐ has an increasingly strong role in giving images of how one should behave and what to consume. This article analyses transnational advocacy networks that oppose digital rights management (DRM) systems and related regulations. We suggest the potential impact of this activity to the consumption of content products. We start with defining and describing the most relevant advocacy networks. We provide the characterization of existing organizations and their work both the United States and Europe. Then, we discuss four case studies where media companies have experimented with different strategies against DRM circumvention initiated and endorsed by transnational advocacy networks Our argument is that because of the economics of copying on the Internet it is not a sound strategy to use legal actions to remove any circumventing information from the internet. Any circumvention information published on the Internet will be mirrored out of the reach of legal enforcement mechanisms. So far, the only working strategy seems to be to implement a DRM‐system, which can be updated without user intervention after the security is breached. This might be also the most efficient way to control the impact of transnational advocacy networks opposing DRM systems.