12.4 Digital Rights Management
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can be copied and transmitted by anyone with a computer, inexpensive software, and
an Internet connection. Analog copies are also usually inferior to originals, especially as
copies are made of previous copies, a process known as “generation decay.” In contrast,
each version of a copied digital file potentially preserves all the quality of an original.
Similarly, the process of creating derivative works from analog originals is more difficult
to accomplish and easier to detect. In the world of digital media, editing tools for images,
sounds or video make it very easy to produce, and disguise, “new” creations based on
others’ work. Performance and public display rights are similarly threatened as Web ...