'smart' CDs

[webthing]

"BMG has set up the CD so fans can burn each track three times per computer. Songs can also be e-mailed to a limited number of people, who can then listen to the song up to 10 times apiece.

SunnComm says that most people, unless they are hackers or truly determined, won't be able to circumvent the limits, including one that keeps songs locked so they can't be played even if they circulate over file-sharing networks"


'smart' CDs

http://www.sunncomm.com

[DJHotIce]

ok get a fresh CD, burn it, 3 more copys free! I like the loopholes!

[mikm]

If that doesn't work, rip to a lossless music file then reburn from there.

[ShyShy]

Nothing gets by you guys.

[Nimelennar]

Or: Play on a Discman and connect the Line Out on the Discman to the Line In on the computer. Record the result and you're done.

[laz]

Maybe, seeing I am guessing, the CD makes a registry file on the computer (I am guessing, it will not work for Linux/unix/mac). So if you must, go and reformat the computer, or just delete the files it creates. And there ya go, a enless supply of music.
And I am just guessing how it is doen, seeing no data can be writen to the CD, it has to be software side, so that can EASLY be broken.
Poor attempt from what I take of it.

[duh]

if it can be listend to, it can be pirated

[griffinn]

Corollary: If it exists, it can be stolen.

[webthing]

http://www.sunncomm.com/asktheprez/asktheprez.asp

Q: It seems like your technology will simply be a "bump" on the road to limiting CD piracy. Once the technology becomes mainstream, it will only be a matter of time before it is circumvented. A seemingly obvious way to get around the "copy protection" immediately is to plug the audio output of a standard CD player into the sound card and record the audio that way, an act that doesn´t take "radical" thinking to devise. How will your product address this issue?
Greg Mayer (9/13/2003 6:26:33 PM)

A: Dear Greg,

It´s apparent you don´t really understand the purpose of MediaMax. It´s intended to provide CD buyers with a convenient and legal way to share the music they buy - an alternative to copyright infringement rampant with file sharing networks.

With MediaMax, people can now easily and LEGALLY make personal copies and send songs to one another. Prior to MediaMax, providing each CD with a legal framework for copying and sharing music hadn´t been technically possible. Our technology is a "speed bump" (as you put it) that discourages uncontrolled ripping of CD music and, through its simplicity, gives consumers a way to "do the right thing."

Thieves will always find ways to steal, (just like the example you gave above). And, as the lock on your house front door provides some protection by keeping honest people out, the determined thief will always be able to break into your house. That doesn´t mean you go without buying a front door lock, does it?

One of the benefits of MediaMax is that it is infinitely upgradable and backwards compatible so that as thieves find new (and now, illegal) ways of circumventing our protection technology, we are able to make MediaMax smarter.

The technological capabilities of "digital shoplifters" has little to do with the morality of stealing music. If I were capable of anonymously downloading your living room furniture over to my house, it doesn´t mean I should do it. People who rationalize stealing another´s property need to take a long, hard look at themselves in the mirror. Most artists who sell respectable numbers of CDs, make a modest living from their music. You´re stealing from them and the irony is that you LIKE what they´ve created (otherwise, why would you be stealing it in the first place). "With fans like that...who needs enemies?"

This isn´t a game to see who´s smarter...the thieves or the music people. It´s stealing, and just because your PC and Internet connection allow you to do it anonymously, that doesn´t make it morally, ethically, or legally OK, no matter what rationale you may use to justify the stealing.

All we´re trying to do at SunnComm is create a useable technology that works for both, the CD buyer AND the artist, rather than continue to perpetuate a methodology that favors one party over the other.

This is how we feel at SunnComm. Feel free to call anyone at the company and ask them. That´s why our solutions will work. Our hearts are in this thing.

Thanks for writing.

Regards,

Peter

http://www.sunncomm.com/asktheprez/asktheprez.asp

[Twilightseer]

One more shitty scheme that probably cost millions of dollars to develop and will end up in the trash can

[griffinn]

Last time somebody tried to sell a Windows folder on eBay, its price soared to the millions.

Let's try selling the Recycle Bin.

[s1138]

has anyone seen that alternate cdfs file?

you replace the cdfs file on your pc with that one, and it lets you view the WAV files right off the cd.

[dlinkwit27]

lol! I love how we had about 5 quick responces to how to get past this "hack proof" system. LOL!

[xzxzzx]

You know, it's funny. I was reading a FAQ, which to every question "How do I circumvent XXX copy protection", had the answer "use CloneCD".

Then I was reading some forum. Every time someone posted "I can't get around XXX copy protection", someone would post "have you tried CloneCD?".

The only protection I've heard of that CloneCD couldn't break was one that could be overcome with a permanent marker.

So now I read this, and look at it in the same way I look at technical "innovations" in movies:

Fiction.

It only really exists in people's minds.

If a CD player can read it, a computer can, too.

[mikm]

lnao @ http://www.uncoveror.com/sayno.htm
The rest of the site is funny too.
http://www.uncoveror.com/index.html

[Mattress]

Unless there is a way to encode the music until it gets into your brain, it can be pirated relatively easily.

[xzxzzx]

Originally posted by Mattress
Unless there is a way to encode the music until it gets into your brain, it can be pirated relatively easily.

Let's not visit RIAA R&D, then...

[whiteflip]

if your cd rom is connected to your sound card like many peoples are just play it straight from the cd rom not using a player that utilizes digital audio extraction and have another program recording the sound into a wave file.

ogg it from there

[ShyShy]

You know, I knew there was a damn good reason why I had this thread floating in the back of my mind Got one of those "smart" cds, and now the damn thing won't play in Winamp. Had to use Windows But thanks to you guys....

*SMOOCHES* to you all

[zootm]

alcohol 120% can rip, mount and burn every CD i know of. can rip to clonecd's native format, too.

[ryan]

alcohol 120% pwns I've used it a few times now.

[Starbucks]

Alcohol is the shit. There isn't one *.iso I couldn't create or copy.

[whiteflip]

tell me more about this program. could it make a copy of an EA game that Im trying to burn for my friend? EA has gay copy protection shit that wont let me copy the CD's right.

[sanosuke]

whiteflip what kind of gay copy protection does EA have? never noticed this before.

[NJK]

Originally posted by whiteflip
tell me more about this program. could it make a copy of an EA game that Im trying to burn for my friend? EA has gay copy protection shit that wont let me copy the CD's right.

had the same problem with F1 2000 .

made a copy of the cd and added the .exe file from the program when installed.
installed the F1 2000 program from the burned cd and replace the .exe file with the other .exe file and it worked.

it seems that when you burn the original cd, it somehow screws up the .exe file. there about 160 kb between the original .exe file and the one on the burned cd-rom.

[Starbucks]

I don't know what platform your EA game is but here's the software site: http://www.alcohol-software.com/

Bypass the latest "unbreakable" protections using Alcohol Software's state of the art burning and emulation process!

[whiteflip]

my friend spent a good deal of time downloading and cracking battle field 1942 on dail up. he doesnt intend to play it online but he isnt able to crack it.

i also try to my sisters copy of the sims to work on my friends comp from a burned cdr and no success. hopefully this program will help out. thanks

[cybaix]

I would like to find out how this works

A) They have to have some kind of format that is only readable by abcd cd ripping software to control it the way they want two
B) The format has to be able to execute code or cause a player to execute code.. or the format is an exe that contains the music and it plays itself then executes code. This part scares me the most as it could very easly be used to do damage.
C) Who the hell wants the RIAA accessing their registry?

[dlinkwit27]

alchool also stole its icon/logo tho.

[killswitch1968]

Originally posted by webthing

If I were capable of anonymously downloading your living room furniture over to my house, it doesn´t mean I should do it.

Same morons where you hold the shift key and it breaks the copy protection, right?

Anyways: I would LOVE you to download and COPY my furniture. It's a free way to manufacture products, and remember: SHARING not stealing

[s1138]

its no different from letting a friend make a copy of a tape i just got.

[webthing]

Same morons where you hold the shift key and it breaks the copy protection, right?

Q: I have read the press release from today that states that your software was hacked "simply by pressing the shift key". What is Sunncomm´s plan of action for developing and re-programming the media max application to defeat these simple breaches of security that were found by a Princeton graduate. I´m a stock holder in your company and believe in your technology but something has to be done rather quickly to remedy this situation and make MediaMax a more secure application that would require sometime to spend a great amount of time to try and hack it. I look forward to hearing your answers and plan of action for this. (10/7/2003 12:20:10 PM)

A: Thanks for writing.

It´s important to note that SunnComm made a conscience decision to have its license management technology reside on the user´s computer (with their permission) rather than just on the CD itself. Doing it this way increases playablity of the CD to near 100%. The shift-key work-around was a consequence of building universal playablity into the CD and thus, was a byproduct of a conscience decision made by staff. This was NOT something Mr. Halderman discovered. He represented his disclosures as newly discovered, but, in fact, every SunnComm customer and most analysts covering Macrovision/SunnComm knew of this work-around weeks or months prior.

Here are the real facts surrounding the "shift key."

1. A consumer must hold down the shift key for about 30 seconds at same time the CD is loading in his PC tray in order to byass the computer´s autorun feature. However, if a customer has previously enjoyed the bonus features of one of the 1000´s of MediaMax CDs anticipated to be in the markplace, THEN THE SHIFT KEY WORK-AROUND IS RENDERED USELESS because the License Management technology is already on the person´s PC. This very important fact was missing from Mr. Halderman´s report and almost every news story on the subject. It´s important because as MediaMax grows in usage, the shift key becomes less and less of an issue.

2. By bypassing the autorun feature, the consumer also bypasses all of the "second session" value that is added to the CD such artist promotions, discount artist tickets, lyrics, photos, bonus tracks, etc. In other words, even if the consumer knows about this workaround, there´s a better chance than not that he (or she) will choose NOT to try it in order to not miss out on the album´s bonus features.

3. The main purpose of MediaMax is to provide a structure for users empowering them to make and share copies of the music in a licensed and legal way. This is in sharp contrast to ripping and unprotected (and possibly unauthorized/illegal) duplication. MediaMax provides this important "first-step" structure without getting in the way of the user´s listening experience.

4. It was always a given that some people will choose to circumvent MediaMax (Ver 1). The record companies accept this and believe (as we do) that MediaMax can be an effective tool in slowing down unlimited "casual" copying...the kind of copying which occurs when one person, who buys a CD, makes copies for friends, who then make copies for friends and so on. We think the early numbers on SunnComm´s recent release will bear this out.

5. Why would a great many people even attempt to bypass MediaMax and why? With MediaMax, users can make and share copies. Now, if MediaMax prevented them from doing any of that, it would be different. Fact is, average users can now make copies easier than through the use of ripper programs...it´s just that their copies are limited.


The shift-key workaround was included in the technology as a conscience trade-off for playability.

All of SunnComm´s customers, prospects and most analysts already knew about the work-around, so the report served no purpose other than as attempt to embarrass the music industry into backing down on the use of copy control technology altogether.

http://www.sunncomm.com/asktheprez/asktheprez.asp

[s1138]

makes some good po ints. the average user, doesnt care.

which really, if they can stop the average user from downloading music all the time, they would probably be happy.

[xzxzzx]

I still think it's a virus. If I were to get that software on MY PC, I would report it to Symantec, and everyone else I can think of. Then I'd make a repair tool.

[webthing]

BREAKING NEWS


By Jim Hu
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

A California woman has filed a lawsuit against an independent record label for embedding technology in CDs that blocks people from listening to songs on a computer.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction against Fahrenheit and SunnComm that would keep them from tracking consumer habits and require them to provide adequate privacy notices on the CD case.



http://news.com.com/2100-1023-272784.html?legacy=cnet

[whiteflip]

Any music CD that features the CDDA lable that also has copy protection is in violation of the CDDA standard and is misleading advertising or mislabeling a product. Only buy music CD's with CDDA on it and if there is copy protection the CD sue their asses.