Abstract: The invention is directed to coded optical media that allows a proprietary media handling system to enable particular drive features on an optical drive system. In particular, a coded optical medium comprises an otherwise standardized format optical medium that includes a particular set of preformatted manufacturer identification (MID) code values that can be read by the proprietary media handling system and compared with a set of internally preset code values. On the condition that the particular set of preformatted MID code values match the internally preset code values, the proprietary media handling system allows access to data stored on medium or, alternatively, enables special features. In this manner, the prerequisite code value match between the coded optical media and media handling system prevent non-certified media use in the optical drive system or, alternatively, enable specialized features only with optical media having accepted coding.