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Alcatraz.md

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Entry Information:

DRML Entry Name:

Alkatraz

Authors/Contributors:

  • TheRogueArchivist - Entry Author
  • ACMClassicalCode - Reformatter

Table of Contents:

Categories:

  • Optical Copy Protection

Protection Features:

N/A

Software Known to Detect:

N/A

Preservation Instructions:

N/A

DRM Information:

Names:

  • Alcatraz1, Alkatraz2

Developers:

  • kdg mediatech1

Overall Description:

Alcatraz was a CD copy protection. No discs are known to have actually used this, though its significant lifespan online means that it's a distinct possibility that it was used at some point. Because of the limited information available, it's unknown exactly what methods of protection would have been used. It's doubly unknown what the exact difference in protection levels was.

There were some informational PDFs present on the site, which were removed at the same time as the reference to multiple protection levels was removed. Unfortunately, only one of these appears to have been archived.6

[TODO: Find older official material, as the only official material currently known is from 2003 onward.]

Timeline:

19987-~20098

[TODO: Chunk up the timeline. Find notable events.]

Versions & Differences:

Tested:

N/A

Untested:

  • The original version of Alcatraz is described as being an in-house CD-R protection scheme.8

From at least 2000 onward, it seems to be described as being a CD-ROM protection scheme, initially with four distinct levels of protection being advertised.9

There's reference to it being used for music CDs, but it's unknown if this is accurate, and if it's referring to standard CD-DA discs.10

Official description of the various protection levels: 1

Level 1: Auf der untersten Ebene wirkt der von kdg entwickelte Kopierschutz wie eine Kopierhürde. Das heißt: Level 1 erschwert das Kopieren auf eine 74 min CD-R. Dieser Kopierschutz empfiehlt sich beispielsweise für Massenprodukte mit einem relativ kurzen Produktlebenszyklus.

Level 2: erschwert das Lesen und Kopieren mit Standardkopierprogrammen. Dieser Kopierschutz ist für Zweit- oder Nachfolgeauflagen eines (auch bei Freaks begehrten) CD-Rom-Produktes empfehlenswert.

Level 3a: Richtet sich gegen professionelle Piraterie; Raubkopien von CDs mit Level 3 Schutz sind unbenützbar. Die Applikation kann selbständig prüfen und erkennen, ob der Anwender mit einer legalen oder illegalen Kopie arbeitet.

Level 3b: Dieser Kopierschutz wird im Zuge des Premastering als "Schutzmantel" über die eigentliche Applikation gelegt. Dadurch werden Installation und Start der Applikation von einer illegalen Kopie erschwert oder verhindert. Die Reaktionsmuster bei einem "illegalen" Startversuch reichen von einfacher Warnung bis hin zum Absturz.

English translation: 9

Level 1: At the lowest level, the copy protection system developed by kdg acts as a copy prevention facility. In other words: Level 1 makes it difficult to copy product on to a 74 min CD-R. This kind of copy protection is ideal for applications such as mass products with a relatively short product life cycle.

Level 2: Prevents reading and copying using standard copy programs. This level of copy protection is recommended for second or further editions of a CD-ROM product (particularly when sought after by enthusiasts).

Level 3a: Is targeted against professional piracy; pirate copies of Level 3 protected CDs are unusable. This application can independently test and recognise whether the user is working with a legal or unauthorised copy.

Level 3b: This form of copy protection comes in the form of a "protective layer" wrapped round the application during the pre-mastering stage. It inhibits or completely prevents the installation and start of the application if this is based on an illegal copy. Responses activated by an "illegal" start attempt range from a simple warning message through to a system crash and even right down to re-formatting of the disc drive..."

It's worth noting that although the English translation mentions "re-formatting of the disc drive", there is no mention of that in the original German (assuming it wasn't present in older material before being removed for obvious reasons).

Any mention of these additional protection levels was removed from the product page in 2004, possibly to simplify their product offering.11

Samples:

Confirmed:

N/A

Unconfirmed:

N/A

Supported Platforms:

N/A

Associated File Attributes:

N/A

Reference Material:

Media:

N/A

Additional Resources:

Official Resources:

Unofficial Resources:

Footnotes:

Footnotes

  1. Alcatraz product page. (Archived 2003-10-11) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Unofficial/Incorrect name used in a few places, such as a forum post about CD copy protections3 and a journal paper about DRM.4 It's worth noting that "Alkatraz" is also the proper name of a copy protection for the Amstrad CPC.5 ↩

  3. Indiastudychannel forum post that briefly mentions "Alkatraz". (Archived 2023-10-02) ↩

  4. Journal paper about DRM that briefly mentions "Alkatraz" (Archived 2023-10-02) ↩

  5. Amstrad CPC wiki page about the Alkatraz DRM. (Wayback unable to archive page) ↩

  6. Alcatraz promotional material. (Archived 2004-04-16) ↩

  7. Timeline of kdg history. (Archived 2023-10-02) ↩

  8. Alcatraz product page. (Archived 2009-11-11) ↩ ↩2

  9. CDRInfo article about Alcatraz. (Archived 2023-10-02) ↩ ↩2

  10. Blog post about DRM with a paragraph talking about Alcatraz. (Archived 2023-10-02) ↩

  11. Alcatraz product page. (Archived 2004-08-05) ↩