Hudson Soft Co., Ltd. and Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) have collaborated on the development of "Root"* CD-ROM copy protection technology. "Root" draws on the software development expertise of Hudson and the mastering technologies of JVC. "Root" copy protection technology records a special encryption key at the time the CD-ROM is pressed so that an error is returned if an attempt is made to play back the software from a copied disc. The technology is built into the CD-ROM to prevent it from being illegally copied to CD-R/RW discs...
The two companies will use this technology to seek orders from a wide
range of Japanese and American software manufacturers for their pressing business of their CD-ROM software, which will offer built-in encryption keys.
* "Root" was selected as the name for the technology because it "prevents illegal copying from the Roots up."
Background and Technical Highlights
Today's personal computers are increasingly coming with CD-R/RW drives as standard equipment, and illegal copying of CD-ROM software has become a serious issue. The problem is expected to grow larger in the future, making copyright protection an urgent issue for content holders.
"Root" copy protection technology works by recording a special encryption key at the time the CD-ROM is pressed. The encryption key cannot be read when a copied disc is played back; therefore, it cannot be used.
There have been other copy protection technologies in the past to use
encryption keys, but they make it possible to read the encryption key
during normal playback, making it possible to copy the disc anyway as soon as the key is decrypted.
The new technology developed by Hudson and JVC uses a special technique to keep the key hidden, so that it makes it possible to enhance its secrecy greater than the previous technologies, thereby reducing the chance of the key being broken. The encryption key is recorded in a different place and with a different code for each disc title, making it more difficult still to decrypt.
Technically speaking, "Root" technology can also be applied to DVDs and other media. More information available at:
- http://www.hudson.co.jp/news/root.html
- http://www.victor.co.jp/products/others/ROOT.html