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From: hsu@eneevax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: copy-protecting software disks/tapes
Message-ID: <16@eneevax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Jul-86 17:30:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: eneevax.16
Posted: Fri Jul 18 17:30:18 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jul-86 23:59:22 EDT
References: <1066@ihlpl.UUCP> <770@nicmad.UUCP> <229@cci632.UUCP>
Reply-To: hsu@eneevax.UUCP (Dave Hsu)
Distribution: net
Organization: Imperial Widget Research Center, Kingdom of Maryland
Lines: 63

In article <229@cci632.UUCP> rb@ccird1.UUCP (Rex Ballard) writes:
>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.
>>
>>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.

Firstly, let me say that I'm not familiar with the current state of
IBM piracy, but that last time I looked, IBM pirates were rank amateurs
next to even the most inexperienced of Apple pirates.  The above
technique would work well against such people.

Let me now add that this would not work at all against any competent
Apple pirate, as Apple pirates stood 4 years ago.  It was once common
practice to crack several copies of the same program in the same manner
and to `diff' the results, as it were.  Moreover, many programs were
pirated and distributed either without any serial numbers at all, or
before they were shipped to the dealer.  As early as 1981, several
pirate organizations had managed to infiltrate not only the major
distribution facilities, but had also managed to infiltrate the
workforces of many major software publishers.  A non-trivial number of
beta-testers for several firms moonlighted as pirates.  And of course,
many software authors gained their expertise through piracy, which may
explain why that package you've been writing for years just never seems
right to the publisher.

Some packages were already in such wide distribution so early that
officialrelease was cancelled.  At least one package was eventually
given away free when the manufacturer discovered that large numbers
of people had been using it for months.

I might add that a disproportionate number of former pirates are
now making their fortunes as managers of computer stores, and are
now fervent anti-pirates, as it interferes with their livelihood.

Needless to say, even if you track a pirated package down to a specific
dealer, it is entirely possible that he/she truly has no knowledge
of the existence of a pirated copy, because it had been copied long
before it reached his/her shelves.

QED.  It won't catch the good ones.

-dave
-- 
David Hsu  (301) 454-1433 || -8798	"It was Dave, not me..honest!" -eneevax
Communication & Signal Processing Lab / Engineering Computer Facility
The University of Maryland   -~-   College Park, MD 20742
ARPA:hsu@eneevax.umd.edu  UUCP:[seismo,allegra,rlgvax]!umcp-cs!eneevax!hsu

"Who cometh to the bridge of death must answer me these questions three,
 'ere the other side he see....aiggggh!"