THE FUTURE REPEATING THE PAST? DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT, DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND THE BRAZILIAN COPYRIGHT SYSTEM

This paper aims to analyze some disruptive technologies, namely, artificial intelligence, smart contracts and blockchain, and investigate, through the Digital Rights Management (DRM) case, the main lessons and challenges posed to copyrighted intellectual goods in the so-called Digital Age. Both Groulx's qualitative analysis concept and Lessig's idea of four modalities of human constraint compose the methodological and theoretical framework. Through the DRM case study, the research concludes that copyright applied to artistic creations needs to be re-evaluated in order to enhance practical public and democratic frameworks. In these lines, despite their relevant inner innovations, artificial intelligence, smart contracts and blockchain technologies suffer a lack of broader social and legal engagement.