When Sarah tried sending a music file using her new phone’s Bluetooth to my phone last week, it didn’t work! The sign “this file is copyright protected” kept appearing on her screen and no matter what method we tried to get that file from her phone to mine, it just wouldn’t work! Of course, this situation left us both very frustrated and slightly disappointed but I learnt later that I just had my first encounter with digital rights.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a broad term which basically describes any attempt to control or limit the use of digital media by preventing access, copying or conversion to other formats. This can include the burning of CDs, the copying of software, or even the simple act of sharing music via mobile phones. Many consumers see DRM methods as overly restrictive, but DRM is nonetheless trying to solve a legitimate problem - piracy.

Experts estimate that billions of dollars are lost every year due to piracy. It has become common to download the MP3 file of a copyrighted song via a free file-sharing network or sharing music with friends via mobile phones. Since it is impractical and almost impossible to sue every person who breaks the law in this way, companies are trying to regain control of distribution using technological means.

The problem is, when you do buy a CD, it is perfectly legal for you to make copies of it for your own use, which leads to the DRM debate. Advocates argue that it is necessary for copyright holders to protect their work by preventing unauthorized duplication of their work to ensure continued revenue streams. Opponents, however, argue that DRM prevents the exercising of fair use rights by legal owners of copyrighted music, software etc. Big names such as Apple and EMI have succumbed to the protests of opponents by removing DRM on their music. Apple, however, maintains its DRM on video files and sees it as a separate issue.

To ensure the implementation of DRM across all levels of technology, the advocates of DRM formed a coalition called Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). This coalition includes mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, operators lime Vodafone Orange O2 and IT companies Microsoft, IBM, Sun, to name a few.

To date, two versions of OMA DRM have been released - OMA DRM 1.0 and OMA DRM 2.0. OMA DRM 1.0 was approved in June 2004 and has been implemented in over 550 phone models. Many mobile operators use this for their service operators. OMA DRM 1.0 covers the basic DRM standard and has three specific main methods of protection: Forward Lock, Combined Delivery and Separate Delivery. Forward Lock disables users from forwarding files such as ring tones and wallpapers on their phone. Combined Delivery on the other hand, enables users to forward content via their phone, however the usage of this content is only allowed for a limited time period. In separate delivery, only certain files can be downloaded or shared. OMA DRM 2.0 is essentially an extension of OMA DRM 1.0 separate delivery mechanism.

To determine whether or not a file is OMA protected, you need to look at the file extension of the content. “.dm” and “.drm” file extensions are usually used for ring tones that include OMA Forward Lock DRM.

For Nokia Series 40 phones, a DRM protected file will not have its “send” option in its menu. “This file is copyright protected” will appear if the user continues to attempt to send this file via MMS. If the user attempts a Bluetooth file transfer, the transfer will fail. However, the file will still appear as present and will still be deletable via Bluetooth. In simple terms, OMA DRM supported phones enable users to buy legal songs from approved vendors, but they will not be able to share the song with someone else.

I suppose the saying “sharing is caring” does not apply when it comes to DRM!