Writing Samples

Digital rights management VS. Warez

If a man throws a brick through a store window and makes off with boxed copies of popular software titles, no one would argue his culpability. Theft? Certainly. But when the same fellow downloads a software title he's had his eye on from a so-called Warez site, simply by locating it with the aid of his favourite search engine, the issue falls into a grey area.

It seems that there has always been widespread use of unlicensed software, diverting revenue from the hard-working software developers. But, while it may seem to go largely unchecked, new trends in software development promise to 'up the ante'. Even now, more ingenious and effective methods are being used to foil even the most resourceful culprits.

In the early days of software sales, protection from piracy was achieved via serial numbers issued with a corresponding OEM certificate by the manufacturer. The problem with that was, the serial numbers were as easy to distribute illegally as the software itself.

Taking security to the next level meant issuing unique serial numbers generated by an algorithm. The serial numbers were generated from a 'scrambled' version of the name under which the customer registered the software. This number may have been generated when the customer first bought the software or when it was first registered for use. To get around this problem, a bogus name was circulated with the pirated software.

Taking the process one step further, it was sometimes possible to figure out the algorithm used to create the software key based on the customer name and its corresponding key. From that information, key generators could be written allowing anyone to generate a working key based on whatever customer name they fed into it. Such keys could then be used to register demo versions that had been downloaded with permission (but without full keys) from a manufacturer's Web site.

The latest software security strategy is based on the assumption that most computer users today have Internet access of some kind. Unique keys are now shipped with software that relies on access to the Internet to perform its intended function (i.e.- e-mail clients, self-updating programs, operating systems, etc.). When the software is shipped, the key is included in or on the box as usual. The key is recorded at an online database that is accessed every time the program is used, when the user is online, to authenticate the user's copy prior to use or updating. Should the software key be used two or more times concurrently, the manufacturer can 'disable' the key for subsequent uses, abruptly ending any illegal use of the software. The goal is to create an environment where users who have purchased the software legally will be hesitant to lend the key to a friend or, worse, to circulate it on the Internet for others to use.

For example, Trellian Software (http://www.trellian.com.au) ships a unique key with each client software package that requires any sort of online updating. Almost all of Trellian's products require online updates. Applications range from search engine submission wizards to a neat utility that helps you find MP3s. If the manufacturer's server detects a concurrent user or a key that has been abused or classified as illegal, it pops up a dialogue box informing you of it. Then it lets you know that the attempt has been logged with the IP address and promptly disables that program.

Anti-virus and PC utilities software maker McAfee has abandoned the perils of movable code and hopped on the Application Service Provider (ASP) bandwagon.

Rather than selling a program that can be duplicated by conventional methods, McAfee has developed a server-side suite of applications to which users can subscribe for a nominal fee. This approach is garnering a great deal of interest among makers of software for large enterprises which have broadband Internet access and many networked workstations.

Another radical approach is to just throw away the lock and give software away.

The developer's revenue stream comes from tasteful (or, in some cases, downright gaudy) banner ads wired into the application's working window(s). 'Earn cash by surfing the Web'-style browsers have been using this method for years to entice users to employ their proprietary browsers. The novelty usually wears off in about the first ten minutes, as minimized or back-grounded browser windows jump back into the foreground each time a new ads pops in.

This technology has recently been deployed in a fairly-tasteful way by the clever folks at Qualcomm (http://www.eudora.com/) in their newly-released, free 'banner-ware' version of Eudora Pro.

In the next few years, I think we will see a continuing trend toward approaches such as those I have described above, to encourage the uninterrupted flow of revenue into manufacturers' bank accounts.

In fact, I predict that most companies will have to employ one or more of these copy protection methods to remain competitive.