Method and apparatus for preventing unauthorized use by comparing medium identifications

• US 5,930,825 A
• Filed: 03/17/1995
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nakashima, Kazuo, Naito, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, Christopher S.
• Application Number:
  US08/406,104
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 395/490, 395/404, 380/4, 380/3, 360/60, 364/286.6, 711/163, 711/4
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/145 the protection being virtual, e.g. for virtual blocks or segments before a translation mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/101 by binding digital rights to specific entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/80 in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors preventing unauthorised reproduction or copying of disc-type recordable media G11B20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00115 wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00123 the record carrier being identified by recognising some of its unique characteristics, e.g. a unique defect pattern serving as a physical signature of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00173 wherein the origin of the content is checked, e.g. determining whether the content has originally been retrieved from a legal disc copy or another trusted source
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00492 wherein content or user data is encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00949 said intentional errors occurring due to bad sectors, which are either physically destroyed or which are declared defective in the defect management information
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00963 wherein said defects or errors are not generated on purpose, e.g. random defect patterns occurring during the normal manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1883 Methods for assignment of alternate areas for defective areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1889 with discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/007 Arrangement of the information on the record carrier, e.g. form of tracks , actual track shape, e.g. wobbled, or cross-section, e.g. v-shaped; Sequential information structures, e.g. sectoring or header formats within a track

Abstract

A recording medium has a medium ID information storing area in a user data area for identification of the recording medium on which software/data is recorded. An original medium ID information storing area, which is regarded as a defect area, is also included in the user data area for storing original medium ID information, wherein the original medium ID information is compared with the medium ID information to judge unauthorized use of the software/data. Further, an alternate area adjacent the user data area is provided for storing data which do not agree with the medium ID information. A method of preventing unauthorized use in a system for reading software/data from a recording medium includes reading medium ID information of the recording medium from which the software is read. Then data from a ROM or a RAM area on the recording medium indicated by a predetermined address is read. The medium ID information and the data are compared, and unauthorized use of the software/data is judged based on the result of the comparison between the medium ID information and the data.

Claims

1. A method of preventing unauthorized use of a recording medium, comprising the steps of:

providing a blank original recording medium;

defining an original medium ID information on the blank original recording medium by deforming properties of a preselected area of the blank original recording medium irreversibly, the location of the preselected area of the blank original recording medium being defined by an address information indicating the preselected area in the blank original recording medium;

forming the original medium ID information and the address information as a part of data which is stored in the blank original recording medium and which is to be prevented against unauthorized use;

reading out the original medium ID information and the address information from a recording medium to be judged for unauthorized use;

reading out an information stored in the recording medium to be judged in accordance with the address information read out from the recording medium to be judged; and

judging unauthorized use of the data based on the read out information and the read out original ID information.

2. A computer system comprising:

a disk drive for reproducing a block of data stored in a recording medium, the block of data being for preventing unauthorized use of the recording medium;

means for reading out an original medium ID information as a part of the data which is stored in a recording medium to be judged for, and prevented against, unauthorized use, the original medium ID information being defined in advance by deforming properties of a preselected area of a blank original recording medium irreversibly, the location of the preselected area of the blank original recording medium being defined by an address information indicating the preselected area in the blank original recording medium, the original medium ID information and the address information being previously formed as a part of data stored in the blank original recording medium;

means for reading out the original medium ID information and the address information from the recording medium to be judged for unauthorized use;

means for reading out an information stored in the recording medium to be judged in accordance with the address information read out from the recording medium to be judged; and

means for judging unauthorized use of data based on the read out information and the read out original ID information.

3. An apparatus for reproducing data stored in a recording medium comprising:

means for reading out an original medium ID information as a part of the data which is stored in a recording medium to be judged for, and prevented against, unauthorized use, the original medium ID information being defined in advance by deforming properties of a preselected area of a blank original recording medium irreversibly, the location of the preselected area of a blank original recording medium being defined by an address information indicating the preselected area in the blank original recording medium, the original medium ID information and the address information being previously formed as a part of data stored in the blank original recording medium;

means for reading out the original medium ID information and the address information from a recording medium to be judged for unauthorized use;

means for reading out an information stored in the recording medium to be judged in accordance with the address information read out from the recording medium to be judged; and

means for judging unauthorized use of data based on the read out information and the read out original ID information.

4. A recording medium used in a reproducing apparatus for reproducing a block of data stored in a recording medium, the data being for preventing unauthorized use of the recording medium, comprising:

a first area storing an original medium ID information as a part of the data which is stored in a recording medium to be judged for, and prevented against, unauthorized use, the original medium ID information being defined in advance by deforming properties of a preselected area of a blank original recording medium irreversibly, the location of the preselected area of the blank original recording medium being defined by an address information indicating the preselected area in the blank original recording medium; and

a second area storing data which is to be reproduced by the reproducing apparatus and which is to be prevented against unauthorized use, the data including the original medium ID information and the address information previously formed as a part of data stored in the blank original recording medium.