Do your course videos need DRM?
Most academies do not. DRM solves a different problem: preventing the original file from being saved.
An academy's problem is different
DRM is an anti-copy system designed to make saving the original file difficult. It matters for films, sports broadcasts or licensed content.
Your problem is the opposite. The syllabus is taken by an enrolled student who has paid, has legitimate access and records the class with a phone before sharing it.
DRM cannot stop that: a protected video is still visible on a screen, and another phone can record it.
What each option protects, without marketing
| DRM | Impronta | |
|---|---|---|
| Save the file with a downloader | Prevents it | Prevents it |
| Record the screen with a phone | Does not prevent it | Does not prevent it, but shows name and ID |
| Identity inside the file, not only the player | No: it encrypts the copy but does not identify it | Yes, optional and recorded server-side |
| Share link with someone who has not paid | Depends on your access control | Prevents it with per-student checks |
| Know who leaked a class | No | Yes, 24-month history |
| Stop someone while downloading | No | Yes, within seconds |
| Entry cost | Specific licences and encryption | From €79/month, with included hours |
What DRM does solve
DRM makes it difficult to save the original file ready to copy. That matters when content has major resale value: a cinema release, a sports broadcast or a licensed catalogue.
An academy's syllabus has a smaller and different problem: it is wanted by the people who did not enrol, and they obtain it because someone inside passes it on rather than by breaking encryption.
The question that decides: if your class appears in a Telegram group tomorrow, what do you want to be able to do? Impronta lets you review who accessed it, cut access and preserve the history for that conversation.
When you do need DRM
There are three real cases. If any applies, we are not your provider:
- It is required in writing. A publisher, public body or corporate customer puts “DRM” in the contract.
- You distribute third-party licensed content that requires protecting the copy, not only access.
- You have your own native app and the value of the material justifies blocking screen capture on the device, which is possible outside the browser.
Specialist providers exist for those cases; VdoCipher is the best known.
We explain what every layer protects and where it stops, including what we do not cover.
Reviewed August 2026.