MXPA97005402A

MXPA97005402A - System of protection of software (programs) of cd-

Info

Publication number: MXPA97005402A
Application number: MXPA/A/1997/005402A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Skalkos Petros; Kamatakis John; Kamatakis Nikolaos
Original assignee: Mls Laserlock International Inc
Priority date: 1995-10-16
Filing date: 1997-07-16
Publication date: 1998-02-01

Abstract

This CD-ROM Software Protection System (programs) prevents illegal duplication ("hacking") with a negligible increase in the cost of the protected Application. The same CD-ROM that contains the Application Software (program) serves as a "protection key". The CD-ROM disk undergoes a special treatment during its production phase that results in the generation of the Inspection Ring. The existence of the Inspection Ring together with the use of the authenticity verification procedure makes it impossible to duplicate the CD-ROM disc even with the most advanced recording equipment. This system has many advantages over other protection methods such as: excellent protection, transparency to the end user and very low cost since the "protection key" is the same CD-ROM that contains the Application. This system can be used for the Protection of each Software Application (programs) for compatible PCs, which is stored on a CD-ROM and runs under the environment of DOS or Windo

Description

SYSTEM OF PROTECTION OF SOFTWARE (PROGRAMS) OF CD-ROM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This system is used for the protection of CD-ROM software (programs) (for computers compatible with PC's) against illicit duplication. This method can be used for CDs of any size and any CD-ROM format. This system prevents the illegal duplication of programs that use a specially processed CD-ROM as a "protection key". It provides a high level of protection for the programs, since it is not possible to duplicate said CD-ROM due to the existence of an advanced method for verifying the authenticity of the CD-ROM.

This system is made up of two parts: a) The specially manufactured CD-ROM. b) The System Program that verifies the authenticity of the CD-ROM.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Modification of the Protected Application Program.

The Protected Application Program (hereinafter "Application Code") in conjunction with the Special Protection Program (hereinafter "Protection Code") forms a new Compound Application Code. The Protection Code precedes the Application Code for the purpose of carrying out the initial verification of the authenticity of the CD-ROM before executing the Application Code.

The integration of the Protection Code into the Application Code can be carried out in the form of an objective code or an executable code.

Production of "Glass Master".

The Compound Application Code resulting from the procedure established in the Modification of the Protected Application Program, along with the other Application files, is duplicated in the "Glass Master" with the use of special CAD / CAM tools that control said process. Special attention is given to the distribution of the programs to the "Glass Master". As can be seen in drawing 1 that shows the "Glass Master", a specific ring (3) of a few millimeters in width is reserved, in order to mechanically process the central region (4) in a subsequent step, while the adjacent areas on both sides contain the Encrypted Special Information and Protection Code verified by the Protection Code. In the following said area will be called Protection Ring (3). The Application Code and Information are stored in areas (1) and (2) of the "Glass Master".

Mechanical processing of the "Glass Master".

In this stage a special mechanical treatment is given to the "Glass Master" with the use of special equipment used in its manufacture. Thus, a homocentric ring (4) of 10 μm wide is produced within the central part of the Protection Ring. This ring marks the specific region and it is revised with the Protection Code in order to verify the authenticity of the CD-ROM disc, which will be called Inspection Ring (4). The polar coordinates of the Inspection Ring are extremely important for verification of the authenticity of the CD-ROM. These parameters are included in the Protection Code Information, because the polar coordinates of the Inspection Ring are predetermined.

This special treatment can only be carried out with the special use of the CAD / CAM package that controls the "Glass Master" production machine. In Drawing 1 you can see the Inspection Ring (4) that shows the special "Glass Master" that contains the Software Protection System (programs). The Application Code Compound with the Information is stored in the adjacent areas (1) and (2) to the Protection Ring (3) on both sides. The Inspection Ring (4) is located in the center of the Protection Ring (3). The "Glass Master" (Drawing 1) is subsequently used for the production of CD-ROMs with special machines ("stampers" Although this special processing refers to the "Glass Master" CD-ROM, and it can be applied to any type of optical disc without taking into account the size and format of it.

The Operation of the Software Protection System (programs).

The Protection Code.

The Protection Code is created in Assembler language for Intel 80 x 86 microprocessors and was developed with the use of the "Borland Turbo" Assembler. The "Microsoft Linker" was also used in the "linking" process. The Protection Code is combined with the Application Code in an objective or executable way.

Functional Operation of the Protection System.

The Software Protection System (programs) requires the presence of the original CD-ROM disc in the CD drive, regardless of the duplication of the Application on the hard disk or the execution of the CD disc. In the execution of the Application, the Protection Code is initially executed for inspection purposes of the Protection Ring, as well as the decoding of the polar coordinates of the Inspection Ring. Subsequently, it is checked that the Inspection Ring is in the predefined position, verifying the authenticity of the CD-ROM. If the CD-ROM is not original, the execution is terminated and the user receives the corresponding message. Special attention should be given during the program development stage to avoid that the verification process causes conflict with the operation of the driver of the CD-ROM drive.

After verifying the authenticity of the CD-ROM, the execution of the application in DOS or Windows environment is allowed. In case of absence of the original CD-ROM, the application is not executed, for which the respective message appears on the user's screen.

A high level of protection can be achieved due to the impossibility of duplicating the original CD-ROM. This is due to the existence of the Inspection Ring on the disk, CD-ROM. The most common ways to illegally duplicate CD-ROMs are as follows: a) Duplication of CD-ROM by means of CDR equipment. b) Duplication of the "Glass Master" and its reproduction. c) Duplication of applications on hard disk. d) Decoding of the Protection Code through the use of a "Debugger" of Equipment or Programs.

Cases (a), (b) & (c) are prevented with the help of the Inspection Ring that as a destroyed area results in the failure of each possible recording procedure. The case (d) is prevented due to the unique integration of the authenticity verification procedure to the Application Program in such a way that decoding by programmers or pirates is impossible. In particular, the Protection Code prevents the introduction of stop marks with the use of a "Debugger" of equipment and programs, thus resulting in the impossibility of decoding the protected program.

Claims

CLAIMS Having described the invention, it is considered a novelty and therefore the content of the following clauses is claimed:

1. System for the protection of DOS and Windows applications of illegal duplication, based on the use of a specially processed CD-ROM disk that can not be duplicated due to the special treatment given in a small area of the surface of said disk with the use of "Glass Master" equipment. Said treatment results in the permanent destruction of the optical properties of said special area.

2. Software Protection System (programs), according to claim I, characterized by the treatment given to a predefined position, inside a homocentric ring of a specific width (Ring of Inspection).

3. Software Protection System (programs), according to claims I and II, that the special region reserved on the disk of the CD-ROM (Inspection Ring) has predefined polar coordinates that are stored as encrypted information in a reserved area of the disc (Protection Ring).

4. Software Protection System (programs), according to claims I and III, which during its operation, the position of the Inspection Ring is detected and the polar coordinates are compared with the predefined coordinates stored in the disk during the production stage . If the identified coordinates turn out to be the same, the authenticity of the disk is verified, and otherwise the disk is considered an illegal copy and the installation and execution operations are canceled. Software Protection System (programs), according to claims I and IV, which is characterized by the fact that the verification of authenticity is carried out before the implementation of the Protected Application, thus avoiding the requirement of the presence of an original CD-ROM disc in the unit for verification purposes. AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on January 28, 1997 (28.01.97); original claims 1-5 replaced by amended claims 1-17 (3 pages)] 1. A method for the protection of DOS and Windows applications of illegal duplication based on the use of a CD-ROM or specially processed DVD-ROM disc that can not be duplicated by any CD-ROM recording equipment due to the special treatment that It is given to a small area of the surface of the disk with the use of "Glass Master" equipment. 2. A CD-ROM disc according to claim 1, in which one or more areas (Protection Rings) are reserved that are homocentric rings for a special treatment with "Glass Master" equipment and storage of encrypted information. 3. A CD-ROM disc according to claim 2, wherein the permanent destruction of the optical properties of one or more specific areas of the ring in the center of the reserved areas (Inspection Rings) of the "Glass Master" is achieved with the use of "Master" equipment, creating a continuous spiral down in the form of a continuous "abyss". . A mark according to claim 3 which is a ring of non-standardized format (Inspection Ring) that can only be accessed by special methods of programs.

5. A mark according to claim 3 in which any attempt to access said ring (Inspection Ring) with special programs will result in the issuance of a specific error code message by the operating system.

6. A CD-ROM disc according to claim 3, wherein the reserved areas of the Protection Ring adjacent to the Inspection Ring contain coded information that includes the precise polar coordinates of the Inspection Ring and encrypted information about the program of Protected application.

7. A method according to claim 3, in which the specially processed ring (s) is reproduced by means of the CD manufacturing process in successive order from the original "Glass Master" to that of the "Father Stamper CD", from "Mother Stamper CD", to "Production Stamper CD" and to the CDs finally produced and distributed in the market.

8. A CD-ROM disc according to claim 2; in which the CD area to which no special treatment is given (Application Rings) has a standard CD-ROM or DVD-ROM format and may be used for information storage. This disc contains the Code and Application Information.

. A CD-ROM disc according to claim 3 characterized by the treatment given to a predefined position, in a homocentric ring of a specific width (Inspection Ring).

10. A CD-ROM disk according to claim 8; in which the CD, following the radial direction towards the circumference, contains an area that has an Application and Information Code (Application Ring), followed by one or several Protection Rings in alternative succession with the Application Rings. Each Protection Ring has a precise width and a specific place on the CD-ROM. According to this model, the external and internal rings are in any case Application Rings that contain the Application and Information Code.

11. A Software Protection System (programs) according to claims 1; in which the "Algorithm" (Protection Code) is implemented at the beginning of the Application Code, thus forming a Compound Application Code that is distributed to the areas of the Application Ring.

12. A Software Protection System (programs) according to claim 11, in which the information encrypted and stored in the Protection Ring indicating the precise polar coordinates of the Inspection Ring are also found in the Protection Code part of the Application Code Compound.

A Software Protection System (programs) according to claims 1 and 10; in which the operation of the same follows the steps mentioned below: Check the position of the Inspection Ring (or Rings in the case of using several) and measure the polar coordinates of it. Compare the polar coordinates measured with the predefined coordinates stored in the disk during the production stage in the Ring of Protection (or Rings). Compare the polar coordinates measured with those predefined in the Protection Code. If both comparisons agree, the authenticity of the disk is verified, and otherwise the disk will be considered as an illegal copy and the installation and / or execution will be canceled.

A Software Protection System (programs) according to claim 13; in which the Protection Code accesses the Ring area of Inspection and verifies the completion of a predefined error code message.

5. A Software Protection System (programs) according to claim 13; in which the operation of the same follows the steps mentioned below. Check the position of the Protection Ring (or Rings if several are used) and measure the polar coordinates and width of it. Compare the polar coordinates measured with those predefined in the Protection Code. If both comparisons agree, the authenticity of the disk is verified, and otherwise the disk will be considered as an illegal copy and the installation and / or execution will be canceled.

16. A Software Protection System (programs) according to claim 13 characterized by authenticity verification that is carried out before the execution of the Protected Application, thus avoiding the need to have the original CD-ROM disk in the CD unit for verification purposes.

17. A Software Protection System (programs) according to claims 1 and 13, in which the Protection Code is transparent to the user and has an autonomous operation that does not require the provision of special codes by authorized dealers of the program of protected application.