By Jordan Davenport

Identifying the Problem

Legal Protections

 Software granted copyright protection as a “literary work” in 1980 by Copyright Act  US Patent Office granted software patents starting in 1989  Mathematical algorithms still unpatentable

Software Piracy

 Unauthorized reproduction of software  Sharing software beyond the legal limits of the license agreement  Does not include archival copies  Owners of copies permitted to resell under first-sale doctrine of 1908  As simple as friends sharing with friends  An entire industry created around piracy

Warez

 So called “leetspeak” for “computer software”  Distributed online for free  Released by organized groups  Often released via peer to peer file sharing networks A well-known website dedicated to piracy whose owners were prosecuted in 2009

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pirate_Bay

The Industry’s Response

Moral Campaigns

 “Don’t Copy That Floppy”  Video campaign  Released by Software Publishers Association in 1992  Highlighted possible damages to the industry caused by piracy  Sequel “Don’t Copy That 2” released in 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up863eQKGUI (Original Video)

Early Copy Protection

 First seen on cassette tapes  Apple introduced copy protection to floppy diskettes  Changed address or data marks, still readable by standard hardware  Locksmith for Apple II circumvented protection on floppies

Image from http://www.video-games-museum.com/en/game/White-Disk-28A-Locksmith-v6.0/37/3/13227

Enter the CD-ROM

 Companies such as Sony introduced copy protection on CDs   Contained protection data in locations unwritable by typical CD burners Method used for Sony’s PlayStation console

Product Keys & Activation

 Product key generally provided upon purchase or registration  Used by Microsoft since Windows 95  Not very effective without required activation  Activation introduced in Microsoft products with Office 2000 SR1

Windows XP “Corporate”

 Volume licensed versions of XP Professional required product key without activation  Often swiped from educational or corporate institutions  Leaked VL keys often blacklisted by Service Packs

Windows Genuine Advantage

 Used to verify authenticity of an installation of Windows  Notifications component distributed automatically in 2006 as a “Critical Update”  Required for Windows Update

WGA False Positives

 Activation servers reported false positives in October 2006  Marked “Genuine” Windows as non Genuine  Prevented use of Windows Update

WGA in Vista (Initial Release)

 Reduced functionality to limited applications after 72 hours of detection  Known problem with false positives  Changed to nag-only in Service Pack 1

Vista’s Volume Licensing

 Now requires product activation  Key Management Services servers provide local activation   Reactivation required every 6 months Cracked December 2006, before Vista’s public January 2007 launch  Unauthorized public KMS server for a specific VL key

Protections in Mac OS X

 No activation required  Trusted Platform Modules  Requires specific Intel instruction sets  Requires EFI instead of BIOS

OSx86 – “Hackintosh”

 License requires “Apple-branded” hardware  Hacked to run on other x86 processors, kernel patches, limited support  Psystar sold pre-configured Hackintosh machines with like hardware  Apple sued under the DMCA and won

Copy Protection in PC Games

 Some require disc to be inserted  Original RollerCoaster Tycoon didn’t verify if disc was original or copied  Newer games require online activation Pictured: Valve Corporation’s Steam client

Discussion Questions

 Who is hurt worse by copy protection – pirates or legitimate consumers?

 What is the average consumer willing to put up with?

 Does piracy benefit the industry in any way?

References

                         Anckaert, Bertrand, Bjorn De Sutter and Koen De Bosschere. "Software Piracy Prevention through Diversity." 25 October 2004. 24 April 2011 .

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