METHODS TO PREVENT

SOFTWARE PIRACY

By Jordan Davenport

Piracy & WarezIdentifying 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 1989Mathematical algorithms still unpatentable

Software Piracy

Unauthorized reproduction of softwareSharing software beyond the legal limits of

the license agreementDoes not include archival copiesOwners 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 networksA well-known website

dedicated to piracy whose owners were prosecuted in 2009

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

Copy ProtectionThe Industry’s Response

Moral Campaigns

“Don’t Copy That Floppy”Video campaignReleased by Software Publishers

Association in 1992Highlighted possible damages to the

industry caused by piracySequel “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 diskettesChanged 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 CDsContained protection data in locations

unwritable by typical CD burnersMethod 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 activationReactivation required every 6 months

Cracked December 2006, before Vista’s public January 2007 launchUnauthorized 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 hardwareApple 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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