The book provides a comparative and comprehensive analysis of the current state of technical, commercial and economical development in digital media. It describes the impact of new business and distribution models, the current legal and regulatory framework, social practices and consumer expectations associated with the use, distribution, and control of digital media products. In particular, the author analyzes the anti-circumvention provisions for technological protection measures and digital rights management systems enacted in the United States and in Europe, and their impact on consumer protection policy. The book concludes with an overview of the effects, and the possible solutions, under U.S. and EU law, posed by using contractual arrangements to expand intellectual property rights.