Analyzing research trends on digital rights management

Background and Aim: Current study has investigated the status of research about digital rights management and to identify the gaps and research trends in the field. Methods: Using a narrative review approach major databases such as Elsevier, Springer, Emerald, ProQuest, etc. were searched for the term “Digital Rights Management”. Results: Following the preliminary analysis, 80 research sources were selected for the study. The results of the study showed that 72% of recovered resources pursued technical issues, and 19% management perspectives, and the remaining 9% legal and cultural aspects. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that, we need to do more research on management approach, and there we found a deep research gap in legal and cultural studies. Furthermore, economics is a missed approach in the field. Considering the evolution of research, we had technical issues bolder with an approach towards new technologies. Also, the results were in line with the development of modern information and communication technologies and legal aspects. On the contrary to earlier research that was more focused on the rights of copyright holders, current studies are focusing on the consumers’ rights.