Back in the early days when floppy disks were widely used for distributing software, some software such as early versions of Microsoft office use to store info on the floppy during installation to check on during the next installation to limit number of times the discs may be used for installation. Unfortunately, this method became ineffective with software distributed on CDs and DVDs, since these are read-only mediums. So far, there have been many attempts to prevent copying of discs and getting around serial codes, however many of these methods are beaten within a short period of time.
Now, an American-Israeli company Aladdin has come up with a hybrid USB enabled optical disc called the XCD. Like other CD/DVD-ROM discs, it will contain read-only information that can be read in CD or DVD drives but also features an embedded electronic smart card chip with a USB connector. The disc is shaped such that the USB connection can fit directly into a USB socket and is of the same thickness as a standard CD or DVD. This allows software on the disc to not only authenticate the disc, but also act as DRM to prevent distribution as well as act as a "dongle" such that users must "plug-in" their disc in order to activate their software each time they launch it, such as to listen to protected tracks, watch protected movies or run the software provided on the disc. Their patent covers several variants, such as an 8cm disc, with a Firewire connector, etc.
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The full article can be read here. The XCD patent can be viewed here. |
One clear drawback with this method is that the cut-out section to allow for the USB/Firewire connection would limit the capacity available on the disc, especially when it comes to 8cm discs. Another potential issue is the disc's structural strength and balance, particularly when spun at up to 56x in a few CD-ROM drives that have been marked a while back. In fact, many DVD players warn against playing any non-standard discs.
From what I can see, this type of disc will be very vulnerable to accidental damage, particularly if one pops it into a front USB port and forgets to remove the disc later on and ends up accidentally kicking it or have something whack against it. In my opinion, I can't see much of a benefit of this over a standard dongle other than reducing the chance of accidental misplacement of the disc or dongle, since the disc would not be of much use without the dongle anyway!
Source: NewScientistTech
