What Is DRM? How Does It Affect Standards on the ANSI Webstore?

In the convenience of the digital age, many modern products are accessible solely through a computer screen, monitor, or smartphone. Unfortunately, this has left an opening for piracy, something that DRM serves to combat.

Some products on the ANSI Webstore make use of DRM protection, and our customers should inform themselves about these products’ restrictions prior to purchasing. For assistance, you can contact ANSI’s Customer Service Department at [email protected] any time or call 212-642-4980, or live chat with a Customer Service Representative from 8:30AM-6PM ET Monday-Friday.

What Is DRM?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the processes, policies, and technologies used by an organization to protect their digital content. DRM functions by restricting unauthorized users from accessing, editing, or sharing digital assets, ultimately preventing content from being used in ways that have not been authorized by the provider.

Some typical examples of DRM protections include restricting users from editing or sharing, setting expiration dates, limiting access to specific devices, and watermarking. These protections are present in books, music, sensitive business items, and various other forms of media that you use daily.

DRM is often discussed in relation to digital products purchased online and accessed through a computer, smart phone, or other device, but these technologies have been used in physical media for decades. A Content Scrambling System (CSS), for instance, prevents DVDs from playing clearly on equipment that is not equipped with a proprietary decryption key. Macrovision, which first appeared in 1985, would cause recordings from encrypted VHS tapes to be scrambled or faded.

Since the late Twentieth Century, DRM systems have been protected by law. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 makes it illegal to circumvent DRM systems and to manufacture or sell technology designed to circumvent DRM systems.

Which Products are DRM Protected on the ANSI Webstore?

Some products on the ANSI Webstore are DRM protected. These protections come at the request of the copyright holders. The specific DRM technologies applied to the standards and other documents vary by publisher, but can include:

PDF locked to device
Limited number of times to print document
Copy/paste not allowed
Watermark text included on document
Downloads prohibited from viewer

On the ANSI Webstore, some or all of these protections apply to standards, technical documents, and other PDF products published by the following organizations:

Any DRM protected document purchased on the ANSI Webstore requires a plugin in order to access the publication. You can download and open files from these copyright holders to your own computer but DRM prevents opening them on another computer, including a networked server. For other specific DRM protections for each publisher or standard, please contact ANSI customer service.

ANSI Customer Service Assistance with DRM

For any DRM-related questions or any other inquiries relating to products sold on the ANSI Webstore, please email [email protected] at any time or call 212-642-4980, or live chat with a customer service representative from 8:30AM-6PM ET Monday-Friday.