CD and DVD Copy Protection- Do it before Mastering!
Q.- What options or programs are available?
A.- The two largest companies that offer cd and dvd copy protection software are Macrovison and SunnComm. Macrovision handles content protection, software licensing and installation, and DRM (digital rights management) technologies. SunnComm helps publishers, record companies, and various artists protect their content ownership rights. There are many various other software programs out there such as: Alkatraz, CD-Cops, X-Protect, CDShield, and Crypkey to name a few.
Q.- Does it really work?
A.- Like any software or technology, there is always someone who is looking for ways to hack or bypass any type of security measures. So this also means that this type of software is ever evolving. The majority of the programs originally blocked consumers' ability to copy or "rip" digital files from CD's/DVD's altogether. To make matters worse some copy protection systems have caused various CD players to malfunction and made some computers crash. This obviously did not go over well with consumers. So the manufacturers looked for a new way to put protected pre-ripped files directly on CD's, which could then instead be transferred to PC's. So the long winded answer is yes, but you also need to ask yourself if it is really cost effective.
Q.- Is it cost effective?
A.- Depending on what you are planning to copy protect, there are a few facts you should keep in mind. You can buy the software to incorporate copy protection to your release for a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. If you plan on doing a very large project for retail release you can pay a company tens of thousands of dollars for licensing fees and copy protection and have them do all the work for you. This particular option would only become a low-cost variable when you hit approximately 50,000 units or more. So if you plan on making it big and becoming the next Michael Jackson or Britney Spears of the music world you may want to consider these options. Otherwise copy protection is probably not very cost effective or worth while to do for your new release.