The following definition of digital rights management is taken from Wikipedia: “…any of several technologies used by publishers to control access to digital data (such as software, music, movies) and hardware, handling usage restrictions associated with a specific instance of a digital work.”

Digital rights management was created for the benefit of publishers and (presumably) authors…to protect their financial investment in what they have produced. The result, however, has taken a lot of the zing out of e-books and other forms of digital information exchange—e.g. digital audio, digital video, etc. Common problems with DRM & e-books that libraries are seeing:

• Digital rights management is not cross-platform (notably Mac vs. PC) so there is a bifurcated market out there right now, with no easy in for libraries into the Mac market.
• Often requires lengthy installation of new software
• Often requires new accounts & passwords to be created
• Can disallow copying & pasting of text of e-book
• Auto expiration sometimes malfunctions

As a result, many libraries are taking a keen interest in digital rights management court cases and technologies. It is something that information archivists and activists need to keep an eye on.