Best DRM Tools to protect your Videos & other Digital Assets

Digital Rights Management (DRM) allows authorized users to access and use digital content with the use of a license. This is done through DRM systems that are very popular in today’s online activities. The use of DRM tools can help content owners control the use of the content they have produced. DRM Tools are DRM technology systems that are designed to control the use of copyrighted digital media. Their main function is to prevent the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted works. This means that content owners have the power to control the use of their content and the number of times that it can be accessed or viewed.

What is DRM?

Digital rights management or DRM is a combination of technologies that manage legal access to copyrighted digital content like video, audio, PDF, etc. It uses DRM encryption, access control methodologies, a proprietary hardware-controlled environment, a software-enabled black box, and a dynamic key exchange management system. The complete infrastructure regulates the use, modification, and distribution of copyrighted digital works.

Steps required to set up DRM

• Acquiring DRM license permissions
• Setting up storage infrastructure
• Encoding
• Transcoding
• Using the license encryption keys to encrypt the digital content
• Storing the encrypted file
• Authorized access management
• Request processing via license server
• Decrypt the requested resources via the license server
• Allow playback or opening a file through a DRM player or viewer

Who provides a DRM license?

Since the whole digital ecosystem is dependent on Google and Apple either for devices (hardware) or OS, and browsers (software), they are the major DRM license providers. Google provides a license of Google Widevine DRM and Apple provides it for Apple FairPlay DRM. Obtaining a license from them means that you get protection across,

• Desktop/Laptop – Windows, Mac, Linux.
• Browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android Chrome, Edge, Mac Safari, iOS Safari.
• OS – Android, iOS, Android TV, Android TV, Chromecast, IOS App

What level of protection does DRM provide?

DRM (Digital Rights Management) provides various levels of protection, often categorized into levels like L1, L2, and L3, particularly in the context of Google’s Widevine DRM. These levels indicate the robustness of security, especially in terms of where the decryption of content occurs—either in hardware or software.

Widevine DRM Levels

• L1: The highest level of protection, L1, requires that all content processing and cryptography operations are performed within a trusted execution environment on the device’s processor. This level ensures that the content is decrypted and rendered in a secure, tamper-resistant environment, offering the highest level of protection against piracy, including preventing screen recording and capture.
• L2: This level offers a moderate security level where only cryptography operations are handled within the trusted environment. While it’s more secure than L3, it doesn’t provide as much protection as L1 because the content might be processed outside the trusted environment after decryption.
• L3: The lowest level of DRM protection, L3, means that content decryption occurs within the device’s main processor but outside of the trusted execution environment. This level is more susceptible to piracy, as it relies on software-based protection that can be more easily bypassed compared to hardware-based solutions.

Apple FairPlay DRM Levels

Apple FairPlay DRM does not use the L1, L2, and L3 classification. Instead, it provides a robust, hardware-based protection mechanism for content streamed on Apple devices. FairPlay DRM integrates tightly with iOS, macOS, and tvOS hardware to offer a high level of security, including preventing screen capture and unauthorized content access.

While DRM is essential for protecting your video content on online platforms. However, it’s not the complete solution. Discover why is DRM not enough to protect video piracy and what additional measures you can take.

Hardware-based DRM vs. Software-based DRM

Hardware-Based DRM (like Widevine L1 and FairPlay): Offers a higher level of security as the decryption of content and the cryptographic operations are performed in a dedicated, secure part of the device’s processor. This approach makes it more difficult for attackers to access or tamper with the content as they do not have any methodology to crack into the device’s hardware.

Software-Based DRM (like Widevine L3): Relies on the device’s main operating system and license providing software sandbox environment to decrypt content. Google Widevine DRM uses CDM or content decryption module which is a software sandbox environment to carry key exchange for decryption. This is mainly used by browsers like Firefox, Edge, etc to enable DRM content access. While still providing a level of security, it is generally considered less secure than hardware-based DRM because it is more susceptible to attacks and piracy methods, such as screen recording and ripping.

Why do DRM Tools come into play?

As we mentioned before, setting up DRM to protect your content requires steps ranging from, DRM license acquisition, storage infrastructure, encoding, transcoding, encryption,  decryption via license server, etc. Not to scare but these are minimum requirements of what it takes to set up DRM. This makes it very unfeasible for any individual or organization except giants like Netflix and Amazon to set up a DRM infrastructure of their own.

This is where DRM tools come into play which are actually medium-sized technology companies like VdoCipher that have completed all the steps from DRM licensing to storage to delivery. They provide a complete DRM encryption solution to individuals, and small, medium, and large businesses to protect their copyrighted content during storage, transmission, and playback.

When choosing the right DRM tools for secure video streaming, it’s crucial to understand the role of a DRM license server, which issues licenses that control who can access your content. One of the most widely adopted solutions is the Widevine license server, used by major platforms to deliver encrypted video to approved devices.

Uses & Benefits of DRM Tools

To prevent unauthorized copying of digital files that your company creates or sells, you can use DRM software. DRM tools are commonly used in the audio and video industries and e-books. You can customize and protect the digital files by adding your own copyright information and encrypting them using digital rights management tools and software. This way, a user cannot copy or share the file in any way.

Digital rights management tools help protect your business as well as your clients. For example, if you own a video production company, you can use digital rights management tools to protect your video and audio files. Clients can then only use the digital video files if they have authorized access from your company.

Additionally, digital rights management tools are handy for protecting your business from the risk of copying. If your company produces copyrighted material, someone will likely copy it for their use. This can happen even if you do not sell the files to private individuals because people can easily share the files with friends and family. You can prevent unauthorized copying and sharing by protecting the files with digital rights management tools.

As stated above, the primary benefit of using a digital rights management system is to protect your copyrighted files from being copied or shared. Another advantage of using a digital rights management system is to protect your company from legal liability. Implementing such a system can be particularly crucial for a limited liability company, as it helps mitigate potential legal risks associated with unauthorized use or distribution of copyrighted content.

Using digital rights management tools, you can ensure that your files are being used according to the terms of your contract. If you need to copy and share a digital file, you will need to use digital rights management software on your computer. Several digital rights management systems are available, including Adobe’s Digital Editions, Apple’s iTunes, and Microsoft’s Windows Media Player.

To implement DRM protection effectively, businesses often rely on a DRM license provider who offers scalable infrastructure for issuing and managing licenses seamlessly across different platforms.

A DRM license acts like a digital key, ensuring that only authorized users can view protected media, while a Widevine license specifically caters to Google’s ecosystem of browsers and devices.

Best DRM Tools to protect your Videos & other Digital Assets

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VdoCipher for Videos & Audios

Vdocipher offers Hollywood Grade DRM Protected Video Streaming to protect videos from unauthorized access and piracy. They provide secure video hosting solutions to LMS platforms, media, e-learning platforms, and individual video creators by helping them boost revenue. Videos streamed through VdoCipher cannot be downloaded via any software or internet plugins. With more than 2000 business customers spread across 40+ countries, VdoCipher secures videos from piracy using Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay DRM.

Features:

• Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay protected DRM-encrypted streaming
• Dynamic watermarking and screen capture block
• Video API and Plugin Integration
• Multi Video CDN Integration
• Adaptive and Responsive HTML5 player
• APIs and SDKs
• Geo, IP, and Time based restrictions
• Backend Licensing and Authentication

Red Points for Brand Protection

Red Points is a Business Intelligence platform offering solutions to protect brands online. The platform assists businesses by fighting against online piracy, impersonation, counterfeits, credential selling, distribution abuse, and more. Re Points Artificial Intelligence (AI) automatically detects and removes IP infringements 24×7. In addition, their Digital Rights Management (DRM) software automatically detects and removes software or other entertainment logins that are resold online.

Features:

• Detect infringers reselling credentials
• Bot-powered search to scan online marketplace 24×7
• Photo analysis and self-improving detection
• Run Test purchases to verify how your products get resold
• Visual cards to review potential infringements
• Immediate takedown and block activation keys violating your rights
• Dashboard and data extraction support

Kitaboo for eBooks Distribution

Kitaboo is a cloud-based secure eBook distribution platform for digital publishers. All the digital content is encrypted, watermarked, DRM protected, and provided with unique codes to access them. Digital books can be securely distributed online on various platforms and devices (smartphones, PCs or tablets). You can create, publish, and distribute digital content without any illegal access to the resources.

Features:

• Direct integration with your website means for every purchase; the reader is provided with a unique ID and password to access the content
• Restricts online eBook piracy
• Complete control over the Intellectual Property Rights
• Limited access to the digital book
• Set expirable download links
• eBook compliant with international regulatory guidelines
• Unrestricted access to data analytics and usage metrics
• Can create a web store and license eBooks

EditionGuard for eBooks and PDFs

EditionGuard offers a DRM solution for eBooks and PDFs. After an online purchase, EdtionGuard automates eBook fulfilment and controls how the content gets shared. Readers can upload an ebook with support for EPUB, MOBI, and PDF files. Choose a DRM and set limiting limits on a single device or restrict copying or printing text. EditionGuard provides various social DRM solutions like Adobe DRM and Readium LCP.

Features:

• Securely fulfil online eBook orders
• Choose eBook DRM
• Sell eBook via StoreFront with secure payment, URL customization and more
• DRM plugins
• Download monitor
• Set display expiration dates
• Restrict copy and printing rights

FAQs

What makes a DRM platform stand out in the market?

A standout DRM platform offers comprehensive protection across all devices and browsers, ease of integration with existing systems, scalability to handle different content volumes and user loads, and ongoing updates to stay ahead of piracy threats.

What are DRM tools and how do they work?

DRM tools are software solutions designed to protect and manage the rights of digital content. They work by encrypting the content and controlling access through a licensing system, ensuring that only authorized users can view, use, or distribute the content.

Why should I use DRM software for video protection?

DRM software for video helps prevent unauthorized sharing, copying, and piracy of video content. It ensures that your videos are viewed only by those who have the legitimate rights, protecting your revenue and intellectual property.