BERIGAN Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 Shift key breaks CD copy locks Last modified: October 7, 2003, 10:58 AM PDT By John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com A Princeton University student has published instructions for disabling the new anticopying measures being tested on CDs by BMG--and they're as simple as holding down a computer's Shift key. In a paper published on his Web site this week, Princeton Ph.D. student John Halderman explained how he disabled a new kind of copy-protection technology, distributed as part of a new album by BMG soul artist Anthony Hamilton. Under normal circumstances, the antipiracy software is automatically loaded onto a Windows machine whenever the Hamilton album is run in a computer's CD drive, making traditional copying or MP3 ripping impossible. However, simply holding down the Shift key prevents Windows' AutoRun feature from loading the copy-protection software, leaving the music free to copy, Halderman said. The technique was confirmed by BMG and SunnComm Technologies, the small company that produces the anticopying technology. Both companies said they had known about it before releasing the CD, and that they still believed the protection would deter most average listeners' copying. "This is something we were aware of," BMG spokesman Nathaniel Brown said. "Copy management is intended as a speed bump, intended to thwart the casual listener from mass burning and uploading. We made a conscious decision to err on the side of playability and flexibility." The ease with which Halderman and others have disabled BMG and SunnComm's latest copy-protection techniques illustrates the delicate balance that record labels and technology companies are trying to strike in protecting content without angering listeners. SunnComm's technology is the most flexible version of CD copy-protection to hit the market yet. It includes "pre-ripped" versions of the songs on the CD itself, each of which can be transferred to a computer, burned to CD several times, or transferred to many kinds of portable devices. These differ from unrestricted MP3 files in that only limited copies can be made, and not every portable music device can play them. The Anthony Hamilton CD is the first release in this new generation of copy-protected CDs that come preloaded with these "second session" tracks designed for use on a computer, a strategy also being pursued by SunnComm rival Macrovision. Record labels have pushed for these tracks, mostly provided in Microsoft's Windows Media format, to be included on copy-protected CDs in order to ameliorate consumers' concerns about not being able to use their music on computers. SunnComm CEO Peter Jacobs said the technology--which will be improved in future versions--should still be attractive to record companies. Though simple, the act of holding down the Shift key in order to enable copying does let computer users know they're doing something unauthorized, he said. That alone will dissuade many people from making copies, he added. "This is not an all-or-nothing thing," Jacobs said. "People can break into your house, because there's lots of information out there on how to pick locks. But that knowledge doesn't mean you don't buy a lock." In order to fully prevent the antipiracy software from loading, a listener has to hold the Shift key down for a long period of time, at exactly the right time, every time they listen to the CD on a computer. Moreover, anyone who doesn't load the software won't get access to the second session tracks, which on future CDs will increasingly include videos and other bonus material, record company insiders say. For his part, Halderman says the workaround is so simple that it's hard to fix. Nor is he worried about falling afoul of laws that make it illegal to describe how to get around copy-protection measures. "I hardly think that telling people to push Shift constitutes trafficking in a (copy-protection technology) circumvention device," Halderman said. "I'm not very worried." http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5087875.ht...ml?tag=nefd_top Quote
Jazzmoose Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 So, they aren't trying to stop pirates, they're just trying to prevent ordinary consumers from exercising their rights to fair use. Ain't that somethin'? Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 Add all the copy protection schemes you want... nothing can stop someone from making an analog copy, as they themselves point out in the article. Once you feed the analog signal into the computer then you have a digital copy without copy protection and the record companies have wasted even more money. Stupid. Quote
Claude Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 the antipiracy software is automatically loaded onto a Windows machine whenever the Hamilton album is run in a computer's CD drive, making traditional copying or MP3 ripping impossible I think the writer doesn't understand about what he is writing. - "antipiracy software"? I guess he means a software music player that's on the CD, to play the compressed music tracks that are on a data section of the CD. - "automatically loaded onto a Windows machine whenever the Hamilton album is run in a computer's CD drive, making traditional copying or MP3 ripping impossible" This sounds as if the CD would sort of infect the PC with a software that prevents MP3-ripping of any music CD. Of course that's not true. It's crazy that a music label actually pays for this stupid Sunncomm "copy protection" scheme, when there are reasonably efficient schemes available. Cactus Data Shield (on the european Blue Note CDs) needs special software and knowledge to be defeated, and this act would be illegal whereas pushing the shift key is not. Another sign of how misinformed or disoriented the label bosses are. Quote
Uncle Skid Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 the antipiracy software is automatically loaded onto a Windows machine whenever the Hamilton album is run in a computer's CD drive, making traditional copying or MP3 ripping impossible This software counts on the "autorun" feature of Windows -- which is easily turned off (permanently) if desired. Holding the "SHIFT" key when inserting a CD simply bypasses this "autorun" feature for that particular CD. Analysis of the MediaMax CD3 Copy-Prevention System: Windows has a feature called "autorun" that automatically starts programs from CDs when they are inserted into the computer. If a MediaMax-protected CD is placed in a PC that has autorun enabled, Windows runs a file called LaunchCD.exe located on the disc. This program provides access to the DRM-controlled encrypted content, but it also loads a special device driver into the system's memory. On Windows 2000/XP, this driver is called SbcpHid. The LaunchCD.exe program also presents an end user license agreement (EULA). If the user ever clicks Accept to agree to the terms of the license, the MediaMax driver is set to remains active even after the computer is rebooted. The driver examines each CD placed in the machine, and when it recognizes the protected title, it actively interferes with read operations on the audio content. Similar methods are used to protect the tracks on Windows 98/ME and Mac OSX systems. So, it actually *can* prevent ripping of other copy-protected CD's, but it wouldn't interfere with ripping normal, unprotected media. This just seems stupid to me. I'm sure a quick internet search on "MediaMax" or something would provide anyone that's interested the correct information to disable the protection. So, basically, this penalizes less computer-savvy people, but really wouldn't affect anyone that knew how to disable "autorun". Linux users are not affected by this at all. B) Quote
JSngry Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 The obvious solution to all the problem of illegal copying is a simple one. Labels just need to release music that nobody WANTS to copy. Seems to me like it's a plan that's already in Beta... Quote
Uncle Skid Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 Check this out -- the company that makes the MediaMax technology is going to "take legal action" against the Princeton student that wrote the paper: SunnComm CEO Says Princeton Report Critical of its MediaMax CD Copy Management Technology Contains Erroneous Assumptions and Conclusions Not only are they claiming violations of the DMCA, but also that a possible felony was committed because the author "admits that he disabled the driver in order to make an unprotected copy of the disc's contents". Keep those fingers off the SHIFT key guys -- and that thing I mentioned about turning off autorun permanently: ignore that, I just made that up. I really don't know what I'm talking about.. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 thanks, uncle skid. i for one am not taking any chances at all. i will never use the shift key again. it just isn't worth the risk. Quote
jacman Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 Uncle Skid-keep an eye out for those black helicopters... Quote
Brad Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 This sounds like that theory years ago that you could get high by taking two aspirins with a coke (never actually tried it myself; that's the whole truth, dudes) . Quote
Jazzmoose Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 Uh...I hear it didn't work, Brad... (Never had the nerve to try the nutmeg and orange juice one, though...) Quote
Uncle Skid Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 Ah, the world is now (temporarily) safe again for all us evil SHIFT-key wielding jazz fanatics: Threat of lawsuit passes for student The black helicopters have turned around and gone home. Quote
Claude Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 Why not sue Microsoft? There is an optional setting in the Windows registry that disables Autorun for all CDs inserted (without having to hold the shift key), thus making Sunncomm's protection useless. The setting can be changed with Microsoft's "hacker tool" regedit.exe Quote
Green Dolphin Posted October 11, 2003 Report Posted October 11, 2003 Just got the new Cassandra Wilson and it's not copy protected like the previous batch of Blue Notes-odd as I thought this would have been a bigger "seller" than the likes of the Moran etc. and thus worth protecting.Still waiting on the Conns,I wonder if they're "nobbled" too. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted October 11, 2003 Report Posted October 11, 2003 The obvious solution to all the problem of illegal copying is a simple one. Labels just need to release music that nobody WANTS to copy. Seems to me like it's a plan that's already in Beta... and/or Quote
Claude Posted October 11, 2003 Report Posted October 11, 2003 (edited) Just got the new Cassandra Wilson and it's not copy protected like the previous batch of Blue Notes-odd as I thought this would have been a bigger "seller" than the likes of the Moran etc. and thus worth protecting.Still waiting on the Conns,I wonder if they're "nobbled" too. According to the Amazon.de page, the european release of the new Cassandra Wilson CD is copyprotected. You can see the Copycontrol logo on the back cover: The only new Blue Note CDs that are not protected are those which are over 75 minutes long, such as Lee Morgan "Sonic Boom". There is no space for the compressed files on those discs. Edited October 11, 2003 by Claude Quote
Green Dolphin Posted October 12, 2003 Report Posted October 12, 2003 Got mine from Amazon.uk,and it's the european issue(cover printed in the eu at any rate)but no protection...strange! Quote
lukrion Posted October 13, 2003 Report Posted October 13, 2003 This sounds like that theory years ago that you could get high by taking two aspirins with a coke (never actually tried it myself; that's the whole truth, dudes) . wow, i never heard that one. so i had to try it. funny,but the only thing that happened was the sudden urge to smash off that damn shift key. Quote
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