Pocket PC eBooks Watch - eBook and beyond  
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Copy II PC :-)
Inside eBook Security
Copy protection had its genesis in the early 1980s when attempts were made to prevent users from copying programs sold for PCs. Notably, the installation program for Lotus 1-2-3 2.x contained a feature limiting the number of times users could install the program on a hard drive. From games to productivity, copy protection features began to appear in all manner of software to prevent unauthorized duplication.
Consequently, companies such as Central Point Software began producing programs like Copy II PC, which could defeat copy-protection provisions. A veritable arms race subsequently broke out between the copy protectors and copy enablers, with copy-protection features becoming more cumbersome at every step, while copy-enabling programs gained in power. The strongest copy-protection solutions, for instance, inconvenienced users by requiring hardware dongles or license files. The latter required the user to contact the publisher after purchase.
By the 1990s, users were clearly rejecting copy-protection provisions in favor of software that could be freely copied. Software publishers by and large gave up on copy protection, since it was generally accepted that any scheme could be defeated.
These days, three forces are at work to cause a resurgence in copy protection.
* Copyrighted works such as music and movies are now stored and reproduced in digital form.
* Given ubiquitous networking, users can easily make and distribute copies of these works. Thus, publishers are keen to implement technical means to protect their copyrighted material.
* The use of cryptography in practical systems has matured greatly since the 1980s. Effective cryptographic techniques, combined with computing power able to quickly run public-key algorithms, raise the possibility that strong cryptography may be a good tool for copy protection. These tools can also enable features that go above and beyond traditional copy protection to let publishers enforce broad sets of rules about how consumers may use their copyrighted works. This expanded functionality is broadly termed "digital rights management" (DRM).
Thanks to S. Liawatimena for the link

posted by Jerry permanent link