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Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!seismo!rochester!ritcv!cci632!rb
From: rb@cci632.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: copy-protecting software disks/tapes
Message-ID: <229@cci632.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Jul-86 10:55:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: cci632.229
Posted: Thu Jul 17 10:55:21 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jul-86 01:12:11 EDT
References: <1066@ihlpl.UUCP> <770@nicmad.UUCP>
Reply-To: rb@ccird1.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Distribution: net
Organization: CCI, Rochester Development, Rochester, NY
Lines: 39
Summary: Go for copy detection.

In article <770@nicmad.UUCP> brown@nicmad.UUCP (Mr. Video) writes:
>In article <1066@ihlpl.UUCP> bwf@ihlpl.UUCP (Fecht) writes:
>>I'm interested in the state of the art (and perhaps
>>a little history) on copy-protecting copyrighted
>>software disks and tapes.
>
>If you are thinking of doing it, forget it.  There hasn't been a product
>released, with protection, that hasn't been broken.  If the big boys
>can't do it (Lotus 123 ver 2 and SoftGuard, as an example), then you
>won't be able too either.
>
>The trend is away from protection.  Protection and hard disks just don't
>get along.
>
Actually, one of the more popular trends is toward copy detection.  The
technique is quite simple, unobtrusive, and easy to do.  All one has
to do is put a unique serial number on each disk, where it won't get
noticed, even by the software, usually as an unused static.  If Joe T.
Pirate takes off the copyright header, and prints up 1000 copies, or
posts it to a bulletin board, the manufacturer knows at minimum, which
dealer recieved the copy.  If Joe T Pirate sent in his registration,
they know exactly who to blame.

The key to making this work, is to not tell anybody that it is there.
This allows users to copy to hard disks, even circulate a few copies
within the company, but when it goes "outside", the proof is quite
easy to get.

Which products have protection this way?  As I said, the secret is to
not tell anybody.

One nice aspect is that BBS systems can be used to distribute "auto-registered"
software.  In this case, the BBS runs a "blind update" program provided by
the manufacturer/author.  This can be used to increment the "serial number".
It can also record which user got the last serial number.

The technique has been around for a while.  Video and audio tapes often
use similar encoding.  You can't see/hear it, but the manufacturer can trace
it.