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A History of Copy Protection
Next Generation has posted an excellent but brief history of copy protection by Adam Swiderski. The article covers the earliest years up to the modern era, and discusses how the various distribution media (cartridges, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, online) have affected the battle between publishers and unauthorized distributors. I guess this is a battle that will always go on, at least until publishers and developers can move away from the product model to a more process or subscription-driven model.
Thanks, Bill, for the link!
Comments
I just read it and thought it was very brief and very weak / light on details.
-- Stu --
Yeah, it's just a tease. Bill and I have been talking about writing a book on this topic, too, though I wonder if there'd be an audience for it. I could see it doing well maybe as an academic book, since you could get into theoretical issues about copyright and using software to control it.
Yeah, it's just a tease. Bill and I have been talking about writing a book on this topic, too, though I wonder if there'd be an audience for it. I could see it doing well maybe as an academic book, since you could get into theoretical issues about copyright and using software to control it.
It also depends upon the approach you take. I can see there being some genuine mass market appeal if one were to take a controversial position (like a certain amount of piracy is good for the future of the industry if not the short-term) and then properly defend it.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.