| From: | Bart King |
| Date: | 15 Aug 2000 at 13:43:36 |
| Subject: | Re: Amiga Piracy |
At 11-Aug-00 12:24:44, Simon Preston <spreston@free4all.co.uk> wrote:
> Anyway, how about some digital encoding on each disk? Something that makes
> it difficult (probably not impossible) to copy. When someone tries to copy
> it instead of a data file they just get a load of audio noise or fuzz.
You see, the problem with doing software-based "kludges" to try and
prevent CD-ROM copying have random results.
Many PC games use on-CD copy protection, however some CD drives cannot
read the data that has been fixed onto the data track to allow the
software to identify it is original, thus failing.
CD drives on the Amiga typically are at lot older than what PCs have
and the chances of failing are much higher. I'm not even sure if the
CD drivers on the Amiga allow raw reading and data track synchronization.
The only way to prevent CD copying is to ban the sale of CD-R drives.
At last years trade-only ECTS (Entertainment and Computer Trade Show)
in London, a company was promoting a method they devised for CD
producers to make their CDs uncopyable. It uses a special film which
is applied to the layers of the disc, preventing it from being fully
copied, but without sacrificing "general readability". Basically, it
allows you to read parts of the CD at any time, but not the whole lot
(as to make an ISO image, for example). Don't know how it worked
because it was their trade secret, or even if it worked at all, but was
an interesting (and expensive) method.
I have looked into doing some form of anti-piracy methods for my
project. However, because I can see how everything works, I can see
all the "cracks" in the armor and eventually see that any anti-piracy
methods I add will be overcome within a week.
It is possible to overcome the "casual copier" but impossible to
prevent the big boys with their k00l scRipTz + hAcKz.
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