Non-machine specific optical-media based copy protection

• US 8,006,313 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2004
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Marina, Justin, Reinhorn, Gadi, Moulana, Nausheen
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee; Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/763,484
• Time in Patent Office: 2,769 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726 31- 33, 713/193, 719/321, 719/322, 719/324, 719/326, 719/327
• US Class Current: 726/32
• 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 2220/2545 CDs

Abstract

A method of preventing use of an illegally copied optical medium comprises the step of identifying the media type of the optical medium to determine whether the optical medium is an original version or an unauthorized copy. If the media type indicates that the optical medium is an original version, use of the optical medium is not prevented. If the media type indicates that the optical medium is an unauthorized copy, use of the optical medium is inhibited. The media type can be identified by reviewing a medium-type code field contained in a mode parameter header of the optical medium, which corresponds to the media type of the optical medium, and is a feature integrated into the media that cannot be copied.

Claims

1. A method of preventing use of an unauthorized copy of a software program residing on an optical medium, the method comprising:

providing a protection program built on the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) layer, the protection program residing on the optical medium with the software program;

searching, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, for a file on the optical medium prior to determining a media type of the optical medium, the file containing the software program;

determining, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, the media type of the optical medium containing the software program by examining a mode parameter header of the optical medium once the file has been located, the mode parameter header containing a media type code field; and

inhibiting, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, execution of the software program stored on the optical medium if;

the file is missing on the optical medium, or

the optical medium has a media type that indicates that the optical medium is copied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein inhibiting the execution of the software program comprises preventing execution of selected features of the software program.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein inhibiting the execution of the software program comprises determining a set of features of the software program to execute.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein inhibiting the execution of the software program comprises preventing execution of the software program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a media type comprises accessing the optical medium in a drive of a computer and reviewing a medium-type code field contained in a mode parameter header of the optical medium.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the drive is a compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) drive.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a media type indicates that the optical medium is copied is one of a write-once media type and an erasable/rewriteable media type.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the software program stored on the optical medium if determining determines the optical medium to be an optical read-only medium.

9. A method of authenticating an original optical medium, the method comprising:

accessing the optical medium in a compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) drive coupled to a computer; and

identifying a protection program built on the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) layer, the protection program residing on the optical medium;

searching, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, for a file on the optical medium prior to checking a media type of the optical medium, the file containing a software program to be authenticated; and

checking, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, the media type of the optical medium by examining a mode parameter header of the optical medium once the file has been located, the mode parameter header containing a media type code field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein checking a media type comprises reviewing a medium-type code field contained in a mode parameter header of the optical medium.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein checking the media type comprises verifying that the optical medium has a read-only media type.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a read-only media type is indicative that the optical medium is an original version.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising executing a software program stored on the optical medium if the optical medium has a read-only media type.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein checking the media type comprises identifying if the media type is one of a write-once media type and an erasable/rewriteable media type.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising inhibiting execution of a software program stored on the optical medium if checking identifies that the media type is one of a write-once media type and an erasable/rewriteable optical media type.

16. A method of preventing execution of an unauthorized copy of a software program stored on an optical medium, the method comprising:

identifying a protection program built on the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) layer, the protection program residing on the optical medium with the software program;

searching, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, for a file on the optical medium prior to determining a media type of the optical medium, the file containing the software program;

determining, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, the media type of the optical medium by examining a mode parameter header of the optical medium once the file has been located, the mode parameter header containing a media type code field; and

executing the software program stored on the optical medium if;

the file is included on the optical medium, and

the optical medium has a media type that indicates that the optical medium is an original version.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a read-only media type indicates that the optical medium is an original version.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising inhibiting execution of the software program if the optical medium does not have a read-only media type.

19. A computer-readable optical medium containing instructions for preventing use of an unauthorized copy of a software program stored on the optical medium when the instructions are executed on a processing device, the optical medium storing:

instructions for the software program; and

instructions for a protection program built on the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) layer that prevents the unauthorized copy of the software program from being used when the instructions for the protection program are executed on the processing device, the instructions for the protection program comprising instructions for;

searching, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, for a file on the optical medium prior to determining a media type of the optical medium, the file containing the software program;

determining, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, the media type of the optical medium containing the software program by examining a mode parameter header of the optical medium once the file has been located, the mode parameter header containing a media type code field; and

inhibiting, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, execution of the software program stored on the optical medium if;

the file is missing on the optical medium, or

the optical medium has a media type that indicates that the optical medium is copied.

20. A computer-readable optical medium containing instructions for interacting with the optical medium when the instructions are executed on a processing device, the optical medium storing:

instructions for a software program; and

instructions for a protection program built on the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) layer that prevents use of an unauthorized copy of the software program, the instructions for the protection program comprising instructions for;

detecting the optical medium in a compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) drive of a computer;

searching, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, for a file on the optical medium prior to checking a media type of the optical medium, the file containing the software program; and

checking, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, the media type of the optical medium by examining a mode parameter header of the optical medium once the file has been located, the mode parameter header containing a media type code field.

21. A computer-readable optical medium containing instructions for preventing execution of an unauthorized copy of a software program stored on the optical medium when the instructions are executed on a processing device, the optical medium storing:

instructions for the software program; and

instructions for a protection program built on the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) layer that prevents the unauthorized copy of the software program from being executed when the instructions for the protection program are executed on the processing device;

searching, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, for a file on the optical medium prior to determining a media type of the optical medium, the file containing the software program;

determining, using the protection program residing on the optical medium, the media type of the optical medium by examining a mode parameter header of the optical medium once the file has been located, the mode parameter header containing a media type code field; and

executing the software program stored on the optical medium if;

the file is included on the optical medium, and

the optical medium has a media type that indicates that the optical medium is an original version.

22. A system comprising:

an electronic device including;

a memory for storing computer program instructions,

a processor for executing the stored computer program instructions, and

a compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) drive; and

an optical medium provided in the CD-R/W drive, the optical medium containing a software program and a protection program built on the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) layer, the protection program including instructions for;

searching, from the optical medium, for a file on the optical medium prior to determining a media type of the optical medium, the file containing the software program,

determining the media type of the optical medium by examining a mode parameter header of the optical medium once the file has been located, the mode parameter header containing a media type code field and

inhibiting execution of the software program stored on the optical medium if the file is missing on the optical medium or the optical medium has a media type that indicates that the optical medium is copied.