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Digital rights management (DRM)

Digital rights management (DRM) is a set of technologies used to restrict access to and use of digital content. For example, a publisher may use encryption or licence checks to limit how an e-book, film or software product can be opened, copied or distributed.

Page at a glance

Meaning: DRM stands for digital rights management.
Purpose: Technical controls restrict access to or use of digital content.
Examples: Encryption, licence checks and copying or playback restrictions.
Key distinction: DRM is not copyright ownership or proof of permission to reuse a file.
In DAM: Usage rights management records licences, permitted uses and expiry dates alongside assets.

HOW IT WORKS

Technical controls and copyright

DRM is different from copyright. Copyright concerns legal rights in creative works; DRM provides technical controls over some uses of those works. Those controls do not establish who owns a work or whether a particular use is legally permitted.

Common DRM measures include:

Encryption that restricts access without an authorised key.
Licence or account checks that permit certain users or devices.
Copying, playback or download restrictions, where the technology supports them.

IN PRACTICE

Digital rights management in digital asset management

In a digital asset management (DAM) system, teams also need to know which images, videos and documents they are allowed to use. This involves recording licences, permitted channels, territories, expiry dates and approvals. These activities are often called usage rights management or asset governance rather than DRM in its narrower technical sense.

Asset Bank's permissions and access controls help teams control who can access assets. Access to a file does not, by itself, establish permission to reuse it in a new campaign.

What should a marketing team check before reuse?

Find the licence or other documented basis for using the asset.
Check that it covers the intended channel, territory and campaign dates.
Check any credit requirements, restrictions on changes and relevant approvals.
If the intended use is unclear or falls outside the agreed terms, resolve it with the person responsible for the rights before publishing.

GOV.UK's guidance on using copyright material explains licences and permitted uses.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

Reusing a campaign photograph

A marketing team has licensed a photograph for its UK website for one year. Six months later, a campaign manager wants to use the same image in paid advertising in France.

The manager checks the recorded licence and finds that it covers neither paid advertising nor France. The team asks the rights holder to extend the licence, or chooses another image with suitable permission, before launching the campaign.

This is usage rights management: checking the proposed use against the agreement. A technical control that blocks a download is a different function. Being able to download the photograph would not expand the licence.

Takeaway: check permission for the new use, even when the file is already available in your asset library.

Frequently asked questions

What does DRM stand for?

DRM stands for digital rights management. It commonly describes technologies that limit access to or use of digital content, such as licence checks that control playback on an authorised device.

Is DRM the same as copyright?

No. Copyright concerns legal rights in creative works. DRM refers to technology that can restrict certain uses of content. Having access to a file does not itself establish permission to reuse it.

How is DRM different from image usage rights management?

DRM often applies technical restrictions such as encryption. Image usage rights management focuses on recording and communicating the terms under which an image may be used, including licences, dates and channels.

Sources and further reading

W3C: Encrypted Media Extensions: technical specification for interacting with encrypted-media systems (working draft).
GOV.UK: Using somebody else's copyright material: licences, permitted uses and restrictions.
Asset Bank: Security and permissions: access controls in a digital asset management system.

Sources checked: 31 October 2026.