Rights Management Information

The Rights Management Information (RMI) of a work is simply data that provides identification of rights related to that work, either directly or indirectly. RMI in this sense is not a new concept. In the realm of distribution of creative works, it may be seen as the economic analogue to the right of attribution within moral rights jurisprudence, or even permissions on files in Unix Since the beginning of time, or at least since the beginning of the creation of artistic works, authors and owners of works have wished to be identified, and so have put their name with the title on the front cover, as well as the inside of the book. In recent centuries such identifications have typically been accompanied by information specifically related to the rights in the works, such as by the insertion of copyright notices, publishers’ information, dates, disclaimers, permissions, ISBN, acknowledgements, and so forth, that are typically inserted on the verso of the title page inside the work in printed volumes. An early example can be seen above. In the last couple of decades, given the growth in the digital market in particular, the types of RMI accompanying works have shown increased variety, and some would even say that RMI only became meaningful in the digital era. This paper addresses some of the technologies that are being used to attach RMI to works, especially works distributed in a digital format. It also looks at the potential RMI-related treaty obligations, and examines suggested and implemented legal protection for these rights in Canada.