A compact disc or CD is an optical disc which is used to store digital data, generally audio.


Copy protection or copy prevention is any technical measure which prevents the duplication of information. It can be found on videotapes, DVDs, CDs, computer software discs, or video game discs.


Copyright is a set of rights given to an author or artist to regulate the use of his work, for example the right to make copies of his work, the right to sell copies or to broadcast music. All kinds of artistic, scientific, literary or musical works can be subject to copyright. If you want to reproduce or distribute a work, you must first get the permission, or licence, from the rightholder. There are situations in which you can use the work without permission, for example to make a copy of a CD for private use and for educational purposes.


Digital or numeric: In the mathematical sense digital means handling data or information in a "binary" code of "0" and "1". While newspapers, paper letters, LPs or conventional video tapes are analogical media, information on websites, in e-mail, or on CDs and DVDs are in digital format. You can digitalize analogical content for example by scanning pictures or by recording music on your computer.


A digital audio player (DAP) or MP3 player is a device that stores, organizes and plays digital music files such as MP3s.


Digital Rights Management or DRM refers to all the technical methods used by media content publishers to control or restrict the use of digital media content (music or movies for example) on electronic devices (such as a CD or a DVD). If you cannot play your Madonna CD on your computer, it is because a DRM technology has been used to prevent you from doing so.


Downloading is the electronic transfer of data, usually between two computers. The terms uploading and downloading are often mixed up, as their definitions depend on the context. The person/computer receiving the data refers to the transfer as a download whereas the person/computer sending the data refers to it as an upload. (see also "Uploading")



A DVD has the same physical aspect as CDs, but its storage capacity is bigger. We use them mainly to store data (audio or video) because their sound and video quality is very high.


FairPlay is Apple Computer's name for its digital rights management and is used by iPod, iTunes and the iTunes Music Store.


Http magic cookies or cookies are small files automatically saved on your computer when you surf on some websites. They allow the websites to identify your computer on your next visit on these pages.


Intellectual property gives a legal right to the creators of the expressed form of an idea, or to some other intangible subject matter, such as a software or a piece of music, which sometimes enables the rightholder to exercise exclusive control over the use of the IP. Intellectual property includes copyright, patents and trademarks.


Interoperability guarantees that the system or software programme you use allows you to read (and write) the file formats of other systems or programmes. It enables you for example to play your CD on your hi-fi player, on your computer and on the CD player in your car.


iPod is a brand of portable digital mp3 audio players designed and marketed by Apple Computer.


iTunes is a digital media player, written by Apple Computer, for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The programme also connects to the iTunes music store where you can buy digital music files that can be played by iTunes.


MP3 is a data format in which compressed audio files can be transferred over the internet or to an MP3 player with reduced data size. MP3 files are often used in file-sharing networks on the internet.


Peer-to-peer or P2P is a computer network that relies on the power and bandwidth of the participants’ computers. These networks allow you to share files containing audio or video material or anything in digital format with other Internet users from computer to computer.


Podcasting (from POD: Point of Distributed Sound and Broadcasting) is a method to distribute audio broadcasts (usually in MP3 format) on the internet to a large number of subscriptors at the same time. It enables you to listen to audio programmes on the Internet with your computer.


Ripping or to rip is the process of copying digital audio and/or video data from a DVD or CD to a hard disk. The copied data is referred to as “rips”. This process can allow you to listen to music from different albums without having to change CDs or to listen to the music you have on your CD on a portable digital audio player.


The public domain is the body of knowledge, especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions, which is considered to be part of the common cultural and intellectual heritage of humanity, and which anyone may use or exploit without permission.


Uploading is the electronic transfer of data, usually between two computers. The terms uploading and downloading are often mixed up, as their definitions depend on the context. The person/computer sending the data refers to the transfer as an upload whereas the person/computer receiving the data refers to it as a download. (see also "Downloading")


Video on demand systems allow users to select and watch video content over a network as part of an interactive television system.


A Weblog or blog is a publication on internet which contains articles in chronological or reverse chronological order. They can be individual diaries or have a wider scope and include a community of writers.