Video content is a lucrative source of revenue, and keeping it secure is a high priority for both businesses and solo content creators. That’s why DRM exists: To protect content from unauthorized activity. DRM works by leveraging sophisticated encryption techniques that allow only authorized users access to videos and other digital content.
This guide will explain how DRM protects video content and the best way to use it to secure your work against piracy, unauthorized playback, and copyright infringement. With the information below, you’ll be able to implement DRM protection and safeguard your intellectual property.
Explore DRM protection from Vimeo Streaming →
- What is digital rights management?
- Why should you protect your content with DRM?
- What does ‘protected by DRM’ mean and how does DRM work?
- Why should you protect your content with DRM?
- How to implement DRM in your video content: 4 steps
- Frequently asked questions
- Simplify DRM implementation with Vimeo Streaming
What is digital rights management?
Digital rights management (DRM) encrypts digital content like videos, music, and games. When authorized users try to access a DRM-protected media file, their license for that content goes through authentication. When it succeeds, they receive a decryption key that enables them to access the content.
DRM protection prevents unauthorized access so content creators can secure their intellectual property, and bad actors can’t export digital content to other platforms for their own gain. That's where Vimeo Streaming's DRM protection comes in. Once enabled for your on-demand videos (VOD), it automatically helps prevent unauthorized downloads and screen recording by encrypting your content using a combination of industry-standard technologies: Google Widevine, Apple FairPlay, and Microsoft PlayReady.
Discover DRM protection with Vimeo Streaming →
Why should you protect your content with DRM?
There are several ways to discourage piracy, such as watermarking and access control, but only DRM protection can secure your video content. It provides the following unique benefits that other techniques don’t.
Protects revenue
If your digital content generates revenue, protecting it is essential to your business’s survival. Without DRM and copyright protection, anyone can access, copy, republish, and even monetize your video content. When that happens, users can find your videos for free anywhere, making them significantly less likely to purchase them from you. This is crucial for creators running subscription services who find their exclusive content leaked online, eroding their business. It's also vital for companies using video for sensitive internal communications, like all-hands meetings or trainings, where leaks could be harmful.
Maintains content integrity
When you control the platform on which your video content appears, you get to establish content integrity on your own terms. Even seemingly minor aspects like the style of your video player and the consistency of streams contribute to the perception of your brand, and nobody who pirates your work has any incentive to maintain that integrity.
Provides customizable access control
DRM protection affords you intricate control over how authorized users access your video content. Specifically, Vimeo's DRM implementation focuses on preventing unauthorized downloads and deterring screen recording to protect your content from duplication and redistribution.
Ensures compliance with licensing and copyright laws
A DRM-protected video file has encrypted licensing and copyright restrictions internally encoded. Even if unauthorized users get their hands on the video file, they can’t decrypt or copy it without the proper decryption key. To obtain that, they must meet the requirements you place on the DRM-protected file ���– there’s no way around it. Vimeo Streaming also offers geo-blocking capabilities, which prevents the sharing of videos in restricted regions based on local licensing and copyright compliance.
See if Vimeo Streaming is right for you →
What does ‘protected by DRM’ mean and how does DRM work?
Digital rights management (DRM) encrypts digital content like videos, music, and games. When authorized users try to access a DRM-protected media file, their license for that content goes through authentication. When it succeeds, they receive a decryption key that enables them to access the content.
DRM protection prevents unauthorized access so content creators can secure their intellectual property, and bad actors can’t export digital content to other platforms for their own gain. That's where Vimeo Streaming's DRM protection comes in. Once enabled for your on-demand videos (VOD), it automatically helps prevent unauthorized downloads and screen recording by encrypting your content using a combination of industry-standard technologies: Google Widevine, Apple FairPlay, and Microsoft PlayReady.
Explore Vimeo Streaming →
Why should you protect your content with DRM?
There are several ways to discourage piracy, such as watermarking and access control, but only DRM protection can secure your video content. It provides the following unique benefits that other techniques don’t.
Protects revenue
If your digital content generates revenue, protecting it is essential to your business’s survival. Without DRM and copyright protection, anyone can access, copy, republish, and even monetize your video content. When that happens, users can find your videos for free anywhere, making them significantly less likely to purchase them from you. This is crucial for creators running subscription services who find their exclusive content leaked online, eroding their business. It's also vital for companies using video for sensitive internal communications, like all-hands meetings or trainings, where leaks could be harmful.
Maintains content integrity
When you control the platform on which your video content appears, you get to establish content integrity on your own terms. Even seemingly minor aspects like the style of your video player and the consistency of streams contribute to the perception of your brand, and nobody who pirates your work has any incentive to maintain that integrity.
Provides customizable access control
DRM protection affords you intricate control over how authorized users access your video content. Specifically, Vimeo's DRM implementation focuses on preventing unauthorized downloads and deterring screen recording to protect your content from duplication and redistribution.
Ensures compliance with licensing and copyright laws
A DRM-protected video file has encrypted licensing and copyright restrictions internally encoded. Even if unauthorized users get their hands on the video file, they can’t decrypt or copy it without the proper decryption key. To obtain that, they must meet the requirements you place on the DRM-protected file –– there’s no way around it. Vimeo Streaming also offers geo-blocking capabilities, which prevents the sharing of videos in restricted regions based on local licensing and copyright compliance.
See if Vimeo Streaming is right for you →
How to implement DRM in your video content: 4 steps
Enabling DRM protection on your video content requires a complex setup with encryption, a license server, and customizable access controls. It’s much easier to use a platform like Vimeo Streaming, which already has the necessary infrastructure and asset management tools.
To configure DRM yourself, you’ll need to set up the following.
1. Content formatting
When you export your content, you must use a compatible video file format like HLS or MPEG-DASH. If you already have a library of videos that DRM manages, they must be transcoded into those formats.
2. Obtain a DRM license
For DRM to work, you need a license server to authenticate users when they try to access a protected video. You must sign an agreement with at least one of the three major DRM systems: Google Widevine, Apple FairPlay, and Microsoft PlayReady. You’ll want all three to ensure a broad audience can access your content.
Here’s the compatibility of each DRM system with common browsers and devices. Vimeo’s DRM capabilities use a combination of the following DRM technologies in our apps and experiences that include Apple Fairplay, Google Widevine Modular, and Microsoft Playready.
Browser/Device | Google Widevine | Apple FairPlay | Microsoft PlayReady |
Vimeo | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Roku | ✅ | ✖ | ✅ |
AppleTV | ✖ | ✅ | ✖ |
Fire TV | ✅ | ✖ | ✅ |
PlayStation | ✖ | ✖ | ✅ |
Google Chrome | ✅ | Only on iOS devices | ✖ |
Apple Safari | ✖ | ✅ | ✖ |
Mozilla Firefox | ✅ | Only on iOS devices | ✖ |
Microsoft Edge | ✅ | Only on iOS devices | ✅ |
AndroidTV | ✅ | ✖ | ✅ |
Xbox One | ✖ | ✖ | ✅ |
3. Customize your video player
Your video streaming platform must detect which browser is in use to request an encryption key from the correct license server. That requires certificates, plugins, and infrastructure that are all different based on which DRM encryption system is employed. If you’re using all three, you need separate configurations for each, and the player must detect which one to use. Furthermore, ensure reliable playback for your viewers, as DRM-protected content on Vimeo works best with the standard Vimeo player and native mobile apps; third-party players may not be compatible.
4. Update embed codes
After you set up DRM, you must update every instance of your videos online. The original embed codes you used to post them won’t request authorization — you must retire the old embed codes, generate new ones with DRM protection, and replace every instance.
The same goes for every platform you stream on — you’ll need to update each integration for DRM-protected streaming. Additionally, if the website page where you embed your video uses a strict 'Permissions-Policy', you might need to update the embed code to specifically include 'encrypted-media' in the list of allowed features.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a DRM-protected file?
To open content protected by DRM, you need an internet connection and the proper credentials. When you click the play button, the video player requests an encryption key from the license server. If you’re an authorized user, that server will approve the request, and the video content will play. Learn more about Vimeo’s DRM policies at our Help Center.
What does DRM-protected mean?
An online video protected by DRM is encrypted to prevent unauthorized playback. Without the proper decryption key, your device can’t decrypt it, rendering playback impossible. Vimeo's DRM protection specifically focuses on preventing unauthorized downloads and hindering screen recording, and what kind of devices they can watch it on.
Is DRM good or bad?
In general, digital rights management is a worthwhile system. It prevents piracy, protects intellectual property, and ensures content creators can monetize video content fairly. That said, DRM does have shortcomings:
- It requires an internet connection: There are ways to make a DRM-protected video available offline, but authorized users must use an internet connection to request an encryption key at least once.
- It’s monopolized: There are really only three options for DRM systems: Google Widevine, Apple FairPlay, and Microsoft PlayReady. These companies make the devices you play videos on and the methods you use to protect those videos, essentially locking out competition.
DRM content protection is here to stay for now. It has its downsides, but it works. It’s essential to our ability to monetize digital content online, prevent piracy, and protect copyrights.
Can people bypass DRM protection?
Yes, in practice, people can and do bypass DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection. it's generally a legally risky endeavor in jurisdictions with strong anti-circumvention laws, like the DMCA.
Is it illegal to remove DRM video protection?
Yes. Removing DRM from a protected file violates copyright laws that restrict the alteration or copying of digital content. That applies whether you remove DRM protection for commercial or personal purposes.
Simplify DRM implementation with Vimeo Streaming
Setting up DRM yourself is a complex process. Each step involves significant changes to your video content and how you serve it to users.
With Vimeo Streaming, you only need to click Enable DRM in the settings for your video content or stream. Vimeo already has all the security infrastructure DRM protection requires, so you can protect your content without the hassle. Learn more at our Help Center.
