DRM schemes

*A short history of copy protection* The top 10? Bottom 10? In any case, enjoy a breakdown of 10 digital rights management schemes. Also, admire Amos' restraint as a YouTuber that they waited until 2025 to make a numbered list. Visit https://sdr-podcast.com/episodes/drm-schemes/ to see the show notes and transcript! This episode is sponsored by Depot https://depot.dev/?utm_source=sdrpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sdr_podcast_may2025: the build acceleration platform that's on a mission to make all builds near instant. [00:01:36] DRM Schemes [00:03:45] 10. Manual-based copy protection [00:07:42] 9. Serial keys [00:10:24] 8. PlayStation schemes [00:17:37] 7. Break the game [00:21:18] 6. Macrovision [00:24:36] 5. CSS (content scramble system) [00:28:51] 4. Widevine L3 [00:34:28] 3. Hardware dongles [00:38:14] 2. Denuvo anti-tamper [00:40:25] 1. A/B variant watermarking # Show Notes - DRM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management - copyleft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft - Manual-based copy protection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_protection - Star Wars: TIE Fighter 1994 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_TIE_Fighter - Operation Stealth 1990 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Stealth, "Code wheels, poison, and star maps: the creative ways old games fought piracy" https://www.pcgamer.com/code-wheels-poison-and-star-maps-the-creative-ways-old-games-fought-piracy/ - The Secret of Monkey Island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_Monkey_Island - Lenslok https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenslok - Serial keys https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_key - Windows XP activation key https://medium.com/@cristian.nedelcu/fckgw-rhqq2-yxrkt-8tg6w-2b7q8-the-notorious-windows-xp-key-195c6601daf7, Egghead Software https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egghead_Software - Chiptune music https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiptune - the wobble on PlayStation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_(console), Spyro: Year of the Dragon copy protection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyro:_Year_of_the_Dragon#Release, "Sony's Clever but Flawed PlayStation Copy Protection--And How They Might Have Fixed It" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUwSOfQ1D3c, "CDR Format or Compact Disc Recordable" https://www.digital-scrapbooking-storage.com/cdr-format.html - LibCrypt https://github.com/alex-free/libcrypt-patcher - Modchip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modchip, installation service https://quade.co/store/ps1/install-service/ - Serious Sam 3: BFE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_Sam_3:_BFE, "Serious Sam's DRM Is A Giant Pink Scorpion" https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/serious-sams-drm-is-a-giant-pink-scorpion - "Game Dev Tycoon forces those who pirate the game to unwittingly fail from piracy" https://www.eurogamer.net/game-dev-tycoon-forces-those-who-pirate-the-game-to-unwittingly-fail-from-piracy, itch.io https://itch.io/ - "Game Dev Tycoon adds ultra hard mode where you combat piracy with DRM" https://www.eurogamer.net/game-dev-tycoon-adds-ultra-hard-mode-where-you-combat-piracy-with-drm - Macrovision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TiVo_Corporation - "Macrovision example pizza hut commercial" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo_J5eKdoL8 - CSS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_Scramble_System - DVD Jon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Lech_Johansen, DeCSS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeCSS - Loki Entertainment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki_Entertainment, libdvdcss https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libdvdcss - Gallery of CSS Descramblers https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/Gallery/index.html, export cryptography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_the_United_States - Widevine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widevine - PlayReady https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayReady, FairPlay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairPlay - AACS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Access_Content_System - Reversing Widevine https://github.com/tomer8007/widevine-l3-decryptor/wiki/Reversing-the-old-Widevine-Content-Decryption-Module - "The GPU, not the TPM, is the root of hardware DRM" https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/70954.html, FSF Defective by Design https://www.defectivebydesign.org/ - Phrack https://phrack.org/ Magazine, "MPEG-CENC: Defective by Specification" https://phrack.org/issues/71/6, @retr0.id https://bsky.app/profile/retr0.id - iLok https://www.ilok.com/#!home - EastWest CC https://www.thomann.de/intl/eastwest_ccc_pro_windows.htm - Denuvo anti-tamper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denuvo - "Don't call it DRM: what's Denuvo Anti-Tamper?" https://www.eurogamer.net/denuvo-anti-tamper-drm - "How does Watermark Embedder use Cloud Servers to Mix A-B Segments of Protected Videos?" https://pallycon.com/blog/how-does-watermark-embedder-use-cloud-servers-to-mix-a-b-segments-of-protected-videos - "This is a video about video" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztYNir9BDoY - PirateSoftware https://www.twitch.tv/piratesoftware