When everybody at an institution is a licensed user, publishers can be relaxed about local re-distribution of materials after they are received from the publisher. In other contexts, the ease of duplication of digital information is a constant worry. This fear came to the fore in the early days of personal computer software. Various methods of copy protection were used to prevent software being copied from diskettes. The techniques were uniformly unsuccessful, because they made the products less convenient for the people who had paid money to buy the programs.
Copy protection is now largely history.
Microsoft, for instance, is highly profitable, yet most of its products are supplied with no technical barriers that prevent duplication. Software publishers achieve this success by a combination of carrots and sticks. Currently, the publishers of recorded music are facing the same type of challenge. Programs to download and play the music are available from many sources. Music publishers see the potential of selling music over the Internet, but subsequent use is a major worry.