Anti-copying CDs up the copyright ante

Major music labels have started releasing CDs that, they admit, might not play in all CD players. Actually they may not even be CDs, given the strict technical definitions laid down for the format by its inventors, Philips and Sony.

The new discs carry electronic measures designed to prevent them being played on computers. They contain errors in the signal that are not detected by most CD players but cause clicking and popping sounds when played in a computer. As a result, they can't be copied successfully to the computer's hard drive to be converted into a format for e-mailing or posting on the Internet, thereby infringing the recording company's copyright.

But the technology is far from trouble-free. CD players have been around for 20 years and there are thousands of different kinds. Some can't read the new discs. Some DVD players also have trouble with them.

That hasn't stopped BMG, Universal, Sony Music, EMI and Warner embracing the idea. They blame the 10 per cent drop in music sales in the US last year squarely on illegal copying. According to Philips, which refuses to have anything to do with the new discs, normal wear and tear could make such discs unplayable on older CD players, which could be overwhelmed by the errors. This has led to the odd situation where Sony Electronics, a manufacturer of CD players, is objecting to the technology that Sony Music is implementing. The company has released about 70 titles with the anti-copying measures, carrying the label: "Will not play on a PC/Mac."

Some consumers have found certain discs will play in the car but not on home equipment. Others have found the opposite. BMG was forced to drop copy protection on two CDs in Europe when buyers complained that they wouldn't play in CD players.

The general manager of copyright for Philips in the US, Gerry Wirtz, says he is worried the music companies didn't know what they were doing when they adopted the idea. Philips has warned that the discs do not conform to the specifications of the CD format and must bear labels warning consumers of this. They may not display the familiar compact disc symbol.

While the technology is not widespread, it is in use, mostly in Europe. In the US, Universal's More Music from the Fast and the Furious carries the warning: "Playback problems may be experienced. If you experience playback problems, return the disc for a refund." If you like the disc the only solution seems to be getting a CD player that will handle it.

Music companies may pay a high price for protecting their copyright - creating problems for customers is hardly good business. The website www.fatchucks.com carries a list of hundreds of CD titles it says carry copy protection and alleges that many carry no warnings at all. This has raised the concern of some rights activists and politicians in the US.

From: TechTV.com:

Is Universal Music's Copy Protection a Joke?

Crack Universal Music's CD copy protection, weeknights at 7 p.m. Eastern on 'The Screen Savers.' Also airs at 10 p.m., 1 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

By Patrick Norton
December 28, 2001

Earlier this month, Universal Music introduced copy protection for its line of audio CDs using Midbar Tech's Cactus Data Shield (CDS). The first disc released with Midbar's protection was "More Fast and Furious: Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture 'The Fast and the Furious.'" According to stories posted online, Universal plans to copy protect its entire lineup of CDs.

The announcement that Universal will copy protect its CDs -- ostensibly to prevent users from ripping MP3s for trade online -- came the day before the launch of pressplay, Universal's (and Sony's) subscription outlet for digital audio.

With a purchased copy of the "More Music" CD, I discovered that it is possible to copy the disc and burn MP3s from it using software freely available for download online.

Can't see the copy protection

With the copy protection working, a Windows PC shows the files and automatically runs the CactusPJ audio player that comes with the CD. (The CactusPJ player features difficult-to-see buttons and needs a second window to show track info. It also shows up as possible spyware on Ad-aware 5.6.) In theory, it's the only way to play audio from a CDS-protected disc on a Windows machine. Without significant effort, you can't play this disc with any other player, nor can you rip it to MP3 audio -- in theory.

However, a number of computer systems with DVD drives don't "see" the copy-protected version of the disc. The systems that didn't see the copy-protected files -- files we understand are installed by Midbar Tech's Cactus Data Shield -- just showed a normal audio CD.

On the computers where the copy protection didn't work, you can see all 14 CDA tracks on "More Fast and Furious." While Track 1 wouldn't play (using WinAMP, WMP, MusicMatch, and so on), the rest of the tracks play normally. More importantly, all the tracks were rippable to MP3 format (anyone want to create a CDDB entry for this disc?).

Why didn't the copy protection work?

It turns out that the DVD drives in the systems we tested see through Midbar Tech's copy protection. The drives don't see the files CDS installs on the audio CD, nor are they confused by the table of contents tweaking done by the CDS.

We tested the DVD drive, an NEC DV-5700A, on a number of different Windows 98 and XP systems. None of the machines had any trouble seeing or ripping all the tracks, or playing tracks 2 through 14. NEC doesn't normally sell retail, but it supplies DVD drives to Dell. In fact, all of the Dell systems we tested saw through the copy protection.

And, of course, none of them can play the first track on the CD, no matter what program we tried. Also, you can't find the CactusPJ player on the audio CD to play the tracks the way Universal prefers.

This is copy protection? Here's a better question: Are all Dell owners with DVD drives who buy CDS copy-protected discs in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act? Perhaps, if they purchase the NEC DVD drive just for the purpose of circumventing the copy protection.

We've contacted Midbar Tech, the makers of the Cactus Data Shield, and Universal Music. We're waiting to hear back from Midbar Tech. Universal Music's offices are closed until January 2 for the holidays. I've already had a phone call from a group of audio enthusiasts that is considering a class action suit against Universal Music.

You are missing nothing. All decent audio CD players have error correction. This ranges from loss-free correction based on data provided on the CD, to "fill-in" for uncorrectable errors, to blanking -- replacing uncorrectable errors with silence.

Different players use different strategies when confronted with uncorrectable errors. Computer players are designed not to allow any uncorrectable errors, so they are more likely to find the entire CD unplayable.

But if you could find a modern audio player with a digital output, you could connect it to any sound card that has a digital input and get nearly flawless recordings.

This just in: last night, browsing the HIFI mags, I saw an ad for a palm sized A/D converter that accepts optical and coax inputs. $150 retail. A sign of the future?

I didn't say stupidity on the part of the producers was good. I was trying to make two points: First, if we criticize them for whining to the goverment instead of trying to protect themselves, we give up the right to complain when they try to protect themselves. Second, if anti-piracy measures are in place, I prefer my legal position if I try to defeat commercial measures implemented by the industry, rather than criminal penalties from Big Brother.

Also, if the standards are implemented by the industry with something to protect, it is less likely to leak into other media, as would be mandated by the Hollings bill, thus insuring more problems for me and my computer than the industry way.

That having been said, I have no disagreement with you that this is a bad move from a marketing standpoint.

How much would anyone care to wager that some bright geek will develop software to automatically detect and delete the "clicks and pops" and generate a clean signal that CAN be converted and re-recorded?

Already done. This particular type of copy protection relies on the error correction audio CD players to to compensate for small scratches etc on the CD. You can easily avoid the problem by ripping it in analog mode instead of making a digital rip. Even those with the best of ears would have trouble telling the difference, and once it's done, it can be copied digitaly with no loss of quality. Bottom line, if you can play it on ANYTHING, you can rip it. Heck, the soundtrack for Episode II is already out there and the CD isn't going to be in stores for a month! How can you copy protect a product that isn't even being sold?

I know I would certainly think twice about buying a CD that wont play on the computer. Considering that the stereo/computer in my house are now integral and I no longer even have a CD player hooked up to it besides the one built into the computer (except in the car), and feed the output of the computer into my stereo system. I do download music but I also own over 300 CD's, over half of which I have bought in the last few years...you mean the record companies want me to return to the days when I had to shuffle through mounds of CD's just to play a song, which I've now become accustomed the convenience of just clicking on what I want to hear in the order I want to hear it? This new "format" sounds alot like the digital equivalant of selling new CD's with a pre-embedded gash through the data layer. Bad move. Obviously promotional copies to radio stations wont have this technology considering that most of them have converted to computer playback of music (which relies on the ability to encode the CD's into a compressed digital format on a computer). They wouldn't be happy if they had to step back technology and start shuffling CD-carts or tape carts (an analog tape that functions much like an 8-track, but is of higher sound quality and holds one song or promo per tape). Very messy in comparison to newer technology in use today. At the very least they're just making the process of encoding music on my compter for playback more time consuming...anyone that is used to using the computer for playback like me will figure out how to use the analog input on the back of the computer...which as long as the DAC/ADC converters are of reasonable quality (most are) will still result in a "dub" which by nearly anyone would be indecernable from the original. There is just NO WAY I will go back to those cumbersome days where I constantly was digging through CD's all the time...and have to spend needless time programming a sequence of music into a multi-disc player not to mention the fact that it takes 10-20 seconds between songs while the thing loads the CD's in and out. I don't think so! My sister has a CD-mp3 deck in her car and likes the fact she can put on only the songs she likes...up to ten hours of it on one disk (equivalant to a ten disc changer) and not have to deal with all those CD's in the car or constantly be skipping through songs on CD's she doesnt like.

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