Abstract: In the present disclosure provides a method and system for locking content, such as video discs, until a release date having a first server configured for generating a daily key, a firewall couple to the first server for securing the content thereof and a second server for hosting an Internet webpage for publishing the daily disc key and coupled via the firewall to the first server for receiving the daily key therefrom. An end-user video disc player may be configured to connect to the second server via the Internet and includes executable code for retrieving the daily key from the second server or for providing a user interface for manually entering the daily key from the second server.

Abstract: A data file reproduction system has a data file supplying apparatus that extracts video data and audio data from a received data file, compresses the extracted video and audio data and produces a compressed data file containing the compressed audio and video data together with meta data or navigation data determined from the received data file for enabling navigation of the original data file. The compressed data file is then copy-protected. Upon request, the copy-protected compressed data file is communicated to a reproduction apparatus.

Abstract: The invention provides a device driver for monitoring and controlling access to data on a computer readable medium. The device driver comprises an interface for access to a device-driver stack for a media drive, a detector for detecting the insertion of a computer readable medium in said media drive, and a monitor for monitoring data transfer from said computer readable medium. The monitor evaluates a behaviour characteristic of an application accessing data on said computer readable medium, and indicates when said behaviour characteristic fulfills predetermined criteria. A control system is responsive to said monitor for issuing at least one control output when said behaviour characteristic fulfills said predetermined criteria. The invention also provides a method of monitoring and controlling access to data on a computer readable medium by means of the device driver.

Abstract: DVDs can be copy protected by incorporating regions which contain unreadable or subversive data within the data area (42). For example, such a region may be configured as a cell of a video object (VOB) (50) within a VOB file (51). Access to the region of subversive data is prevented during normal playback, for example, by ensuring that there are no pointers leading to the subversive region. To defeat such a copy protection method, the content on the copy protected optical disc is accessed by utilising the navigation provided for normal playback of the disc. Thus, the subversive regions are navigated around during copying of the disc. The accessed content is stored in a corresponding data area and, where subversive regions are identified, arbitrary data is incorporated within regions of the copy data area which correspond to regions of unreadable or subversive data in the original data area.

Abstract: Generally the more effective is the copy protection provided on an optical disc, such as a DVD, the greater is the likelihood that the copy protection will adversely interfere with legitimate uses of the optical disc. It is therefore proposed to include at least one region of subversive data within the content in the data area of an optical disc, and then to prevent access to each such region of subversive data during normal playback of the disc. For a DVD, the subversive data may be incorporated within video objects and/or may be in gaps between files in the DVD_Video zone. It is arranged that there are no navigable paths to the regions of subversive data.