What's the news: The Centre on September 9 released the fourth amendment to the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2022 that now includes a separate section on digital rights management (DRM) system. The government invited comments on the same from stakeholders by October 7. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), a DRM is "a systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media." It prevents unauthorized redistribution of digital media and restricts the ways consumers in which a consumer may copy purchased content. "DRM products were developed in response to the rapid increase in online piracy of commercially marketed material, which proliferated through the widespread use of peer-to-peer file exchange programs," said TRAI in a press release. FREE READ of the day by MediaNama: Click here to sign-up for our free-read of the day newsletter delivered daily before 9 AM in your inbox. Why it matters: Experts invested in preventing piracy of digital media have noted that online content in India is particularly vulnerable. While there are provisions for DRM under the Indian copyright laws, the legislation needs to be amended and brought up-to-date. For this reason, it is important to note how various departments of the government are addressing the issue of online content piracy. There is also a concern that DRM technology interferes with a consumer's right to fair use as it restricts access only via an identified hardware. How does DRM work? According to the paper shared by TRAI, the DRM…
