DRM: Doesn't Really Mean Digital Copyright Management

Copyright is a legal system embedded in a larger technological system. In order to examine the functions of copyright it is critical to examine the larger technological context of copyright: analog media and printed paper in particular. The copyright system includes both the explicit mechanisms implemented by law construct and the implicit mechanisms resulting from the technologically determinant features of paper and print. Specifically the copyright system did not address issues of physical integrity, binding of author's name, and authentication. Digital rights management should address both the legal and technologically determined elements of the copyright system. An examination of that entire system yields a return to first principles for the design of digital rights management systems.