Provided are an apparatus and method for managing digital rights. An agent unit manages application programs to which DRM is to be applied and rights to contents processed by the application programs to which DRM is to be applied, and encrypt and decrypt the contents processed by the application programs. A rights management unit authenticates a user and manages a user right to the contents processed by the application programs. A kernel API hooking unit monitors input/output of a file through hooking kernel native APIs, requests the rights management unit to verify the user right to the contents to be processed, and requests the agent unit to encrypt or decrypt the contents when the user right to the contents to be processed is verified.