LONDON — August 28, 2003 — Macrovision Corporation (Nasdaq: MVSN), leading provider of copy protection and digital rights management technologies, today announced the launch of SafeDisc® version 3.1, designed to upgrade its CD/DVD-ROM copy-protection against hacking and unauthorised copying of protected titles. SafeDisc V3.1 builds upon the security wrapper that PC games publishers have used to protect over 200 million CDs worldwide, and provides effective and time-efficient security tools for PC games developers themselves. Key features include: Unique instance-based security that creates individual new security system for each title, and an improved code masking technology which can be used to thwart hackers from reverse-engineering Macrovision copy protection out of a protected application. Robust SafeDisc security API (Application Programming Interface) with “Intelligent Protected Functions (PFNs)” and improved interface, allowing faster and more effective implementation. Expanded Professional Services with on-site Macrovision development engineer working along side your developers to produce world-class highly secure implementation of SafeDisc protection for each title. This also includes SafeDisc API training, software installation pack and additional code tools and methodologies to increase the level of protection that developers can apply to their titles. New unique signature for each title to foil copying to even the most advanced optical disc burners. Steve Weinstein, executive vice president of Macrovision, commented: “Our ongoing investment in research and development provides our SafeDisc customers with a constantly evolving product for more effective protection in a fast moving and ever changing market environment.” SafeDisc V3.1 will be available in September, 2003 to meet publishers’ and developers’ demand for the 2003 holiday season. About Macrovision: Macrovision develops and markets digital rights management (“DRM”), copy protection, and electronic licence management technologies for the video, music and software markets. For the past 15 years, Macrovision has been the trusted partner in copy protection and rights management for the entertainment industry. Macrovision has worked in partnership with the leading content companies worldwide to develop and deploy technologies that serve the interests of the both rights holders and consumers, delivering solutions that provide an optimum balance between effectiveness and playability. Macrovision’s copy protection and rights management technologies have been utilised on over 6 billion DVDs and VHS cassettes, over 200 million CD-ROMs and over 120 million music CDs worldwide. Macrovision has its corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California, with international offices in London, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul. Shoey Macrovisions Safedisc 3.1 [bold] will be defeated! [/bold]
Hmmm i wonder at what point, video game manufacturers will have to ship two copies of the same game with their releases. There comes a point when the average Joe wants to make a perfectly legal backup copy but cant (heck, we may end up finding out that the future games have license agreements that dont allow for legal copies or something). Grrrrrrrrrr.... but i agree, SD3.1 will be defeated, simply for the reason that their protection schemes must run on average-Joe's cd drive! I wonder if this will be the beginnings of a push towards new, fancier drives (somewhat like what Longhorn-Lagrange are trying to do).
