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Description  |
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This invention is directed to a method for copying data, such as coded
programs stored on a master magnetic media, onto a copy magnetic media,
while assuring that unauthorized copies cannot be effected, so as to
enable the owner of the program to receive an accounting of all copying.
While the invention will be specifically disclosed with reference to
programs stored on floppy disk, it will be apparent that the invention is
also applicable to other mass storage techniques for storing programs for
processing equipment.
A major problem currently exists in the unauthorized copying, for example,
of microcomputer programs. Such unauthorized copying reduces the revenues
received by the producers of the programs, and thereby discourages the
development of programming art. While various techniques have been
suggested to prevent piracy, the results have not been totally
satisfactory. Thus, among other reasons, it has not been found feasible to
provide means for ensuring that a program will be operative only on one
individual device.
Further problems exist in the expense involved in the distribution of
software. The number of programs available today is very large, and the
number is continuously increasing, both as a result of new concepts in
programming as well as the increase in hardware that is not mutually
compatible.
As a consequence, retail dealers of software are not generally able to
carry a wide range of programs for more than a minimum number of hardware
types.
It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a method for
overcoming the above security and distribution problems, as well as to
provide a device enabling the solution of these problems.
As a first component, the present invention provides a master disk, termed
a master disk, upon which is coded a program designed for a specific type
of computer. The design of a program specific to a particular type of
equipment is of course generally necessary today, in view of the
incompatibility of the various available data processing devices, such as
microcomputers. In accordance with the invention, however, the program on
the master disk is designed to be inoperable per se. Thus, the direct use
of the master disk in the specified microcomputer will not enable running
the program. While the master disk may be copied in a conventional manner
by a conventional copy program, to produce an exact duplicate thereof, it
is evident that a copy of the master disk produced in this manner will
also not be capable of running the intended program.
The program on the master disk may be made inoperable, in itself, by one or
more of several techniques. In each case, however, the inoperability may
be overcome by processing all or part of the program on the master disk
with a given algorithm. For example, the references in the master program
to specific memory locations in the computer, for performing various
functions, may differ from the correct locations in such microcomputers by
a given algorithm, or program lines may be jumbled in a manner that may be
correctable by processing with a given algorithm. Of course these
techniques are only examples, and it will be apparent that other
modification techniques may be employed.
Further, in accordance with the invention, a reproduction program disk is
also provided, having thereon a program for modifying the program of the
master disk in accordance with the selected algorithm.
The reproduction program may modify the program of the master disk by any
one or more of a number of different techniques. For example, the
reproduction program may complete missing parts of the master program, may
delete excessive parts of the master program, or may arrange or vary parts
of the master program in accordance with the algorithm. The master program
thus modified by the copy program may be then recorded on a copy disk, to
obtain a completely operable reproduced program. In addition to correcting
the master copy, the reproduction program also maintains a record of the
number of times the master disk has been reproduced. For this purpose, the
reproduction program may update data at a determined location in the
reproduction program disk, and/or it may modify data at a determined
location in the master program disk. Such modification may, for example,
be by incrementing, or by any other suitable algorithm.
The invention thereby minimizes the inventory that must be maintained by a
retailer of software, while, at the same time, ensures that an accounting
may be made of all reproduction, so that the owner of the program may be
fairly reimbursed.
In order that the invention will be more clearly understood it will now be
disclosed in greater detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of the method in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a simplified illustration of one embodiment of apparatus that may
be employed for reproducing a program, in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for reproducing programs in accordance
with the invention.
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates one method that may be
employed in accordance with the invention for reproducing programs. In
accordance with the invention the master disk 10 or other mass storage
device is provided with a program for operation on a given type of
microcomputer or other data processing device. The program on the master
disk, however, is designed so that it will not function correctly if the
disk were to be directly employed in the microcomputer. The program may,
for example, have missing portions, jumbled portions, excess portions,
improper references to memory for the given microcomputer, or improper
data for such microcomputer.
In accordance with the present invention, a reproduction program disk 11 is
also provided, having thereon a program including an algorithm for
correcting the erroneous or missing information programmed onto the master
disk. The program of the reproduction disk is thus employed to modify the
program output from the master disk, as indicated at 12, to record the
copy disk 13 with the modified master disk program, such that the program
recorded on the copy 13 is complete and operable.
As an example, the reproduction program disk may be provided with a program
for sequentially inputting and storing sectors or tracks of the master
disk, review and modify the stored data if necessary, and read out the
corrected or modified data to the tracks of the copy disk.
In addition to modification of the master disk program or recording on the
copy disk 13, the program of the reproduction program disk 11 preferrably
modifies determined stored data in the reproduction program disk itself,
in order to maintain a record of the number of usages of the reproduction
program disk and hence to maintain a record of the number of reproductions
made of the master disk program. For example, a storage location on the
reproduction program disk 11 may be assigned an accounting function, the
program of the reproduction program disk incrementing the data stored at
such location upon every execution of the program. If desired, the
accounting information stored at such location may be in coded form, with
modification of such data being effective by means of an algorithm in the
program of the reproduction program disk. The program of the reproduction
program disk may hence read out the data at the accounting memory
location, modify it and then restore it at the assigned location of the
reproduction program disk.
This feature thereby enables the owner of the program on the master disk to
periodically read out the accounting data on the reproduction program disk
of each licensee, in order to enable billing of such licensee for the
actual number of reproductions of the program that have been made.
In a further modification, it is apparent that the reproduction program
disk 11 may have a plurality of assigned locations for different master
programs, thereby enabling a record to be made on the reproduction program
disk of the number of times that each of the master disk programs have
been reproduced. For this purpose, the program of the reproduction program
disk interrogates data stored on the master program disk, in order to
identify the program that is being copied. With this information, the
program of the reproduction program may be directed to the corresponding
accounting data of the reproduction program disk, thereby to update this
specific data in the described manner. The owner of the programs of the
master disk may hence be advised of the number of times of usages of each
of the programs of separate master disks that have been reproduced so that
proper billing may be made at the rates assigned the different master disk
programs.
In a further feature of the invention, in addition to, or as an alternative
to, restoring the accounting data on the reproduction program disk, the
program of the reproduction program disk may store the updated accounting
data on the master disk, at an assigned location. This feature enables the
owner of the program to obtain the necessary accounting information from
the respective master disk, in the event of destruction or loss of the
reproduction program disk assigned to a licensed retailer. This feature
inhibits defeat of the accounting of usage of the master disk merely by
reproduction of the program disk to maintain duplicate records, i.e., one
for reproduction of the master disk programs and the other for accounting
to the program owner. In this latter accounting technique, the updating of
the accounting data on the master disk may, if desired, be effected in
accordance with the accounting data previously stored on the master disk,
rather than in accordance with the data stored on the reproduction program
disk, thereby enabling a separate independent accounting of data on the
master disk. Differences in accounting on the two disks provide the owner
with evidence of illegal copying by the licensee.
One embodiment of an apparatus may be employed in accordance with the
invention is illustrated in FIG. 2, wherein a conventional microcomputer
20 is provided with 3 disk drives, 21, 22, and 23. A reproduction program
disk 24 is adapted to be inserted in the disk drive 21, and a master
program disk 25 is adapted to be inserted in the disk drive 22. The copy
disk 26, upon which the corrected master disk program is to be copied, is
adapted for insertion in the disk drive 23. A sequence of operations for
effecting the copying of corrected master program on a copy disk is
illustrated in FIG. 3. In this sequence, the program of the reproduction
program disk 24 is first loaded in the microcomputer, along with any
accounting data stored therein, as indicated at block 30. The disk
operating system of the microcomputer may be designed to immediately start
the loaded reproduction program.
The program of the reproduction program disk may initially load a first
part of the program of the master disk into a determined storage area of
the microcomputer as illustrated at block 31. This master program part now
stored in the microcomptuer is then modified in accordance with a
determined algorithm from the reproduction program disk, as illustrated at
block 32. Such modification may of course be of any of a number of forms.
It may comprise the insertion of determined data at determined memory
storage locations, or deletion of determined data, or it may comprise the
actual modification of memory at determined locations in accordance with
an algorithm in the reproduction program. In a further technique, the
reproduction program may search the master disk program part for
determined data, and then modify such found data, to generate data related
thereto in accordance with an algorithm in the reproduction program. It is
of course apparent that these are only examples of techniques that may be
employed to modify the master disk program to make it operative, and that
other techniques may be employed alternatively or in combination with the
above techniques.
Following such modification of the master program part, this modified
portion of the program is now copied to the copy disk, as illustrated at
block 33. A determination is then made as to whether or not the full
master program has been copied, at block 34. This may be effected by any
known technique, for example by coding the last track of the master disk
to be copied in a determined manner. If the full master program has not
been copied the program branches back to retrieve and process the next
part of the master program.
Following a successful copying of the master disk program on the copy disk,
the accounting data is brought up to date in block 35. For this purpose,
the stored accounting data from the reproduction program disk may be
incremented or otherwise modified in accordance with a given algorithm,
for restoring on the reproduction program disk and, if desired, also on
the master program disk. As discussed above, such updating of accounting
data may also comprise separate updating of accounting data on the master
disk by recovering data already on such master disk, modifying it, and
restoring the updated data directly on the master disk. It is
alternatively possible to accomplish the same effect with two disk drives
instead of three by removing the copy program disk and inserting the blank
disk at the appropriate point. The program can easily be adapted to
indicate to the operator when to make the disk change.
The determination of the number of times a master program has been copied
thus requires reading out of the determined accounting data locations of
the reproduction program disk or the master program disk. In order to
simplify such accounting, the licensee may thus periodically mail the
reproduction program disk or master disk, to the program owner, for
example upon receipt of a new disk.
When employing the method and program disks in accordance with the
invention, it is apparent that a retailer selling programs need only stock
one copy of each master program for each hardware type of concern, and one
or several reproduction copy disks, along with blank disks suitable for
receiving any program. The invention thereby substantially minimizes the
inventory that must be carried by a retailer, while ensuring the proper
accounting of programs that are sold.
While the invention has been disclosed and described with reference to a
limited number of embodiments, it will be apparent that variations and
modifications may be made therein, and it is therefore intended in the
following claims to cover each such variation and modification as falls
within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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