Attempting to protect software on CD-ROM disks from illegal copying, Hudson Soft Co. Ltd. and Victor Company of Japan Ltd. (JVC) have developed a copy protection technology that employs embedded encryption keys. . .
Attempting to protect software on CD-ROM disks from illegal copying, Hudson Soft Co. Ltd. and Victor Company of Japan Ltd. (JVC) have developed a copy protection technology that employs embedded encryption keys.

Copy protection has become an urgent issue for content owners as personal computers increasingly include CD-R/RW drives as standard equipment. Hudson Soft's and JVC's Root encryption technology -- so-called because it is intended to prevent illegal copying "from the roots up" -- features special encryption keys which are hidden in software that's pressed onto a CD-ROM and cannot be read with ordinary procedures. The keys are not copied properly when software on the disk is copied to a CD-R or CD-RW disk, thus thwarting illegal duplication, the companies said.

The location, length and number of embedded key codes can be customized for each CD-ROM title, making it more difficult for hackers to find and decrypt the codes. JVC intends to charge between 20 cents and $1 per disk for the encryption service, depending on the complexity of the key codes.

The link for this article located at EETimes is no longer available.