Copy protected DVD disc and method for producing and validating same

Abstract

A copy protected DVD disc and a method for producing a signature on the disc is provided. In an embodiment of the invention, the method for protecting a DVD disc includes producing a signature on the disc by non-destructively altering the content of at least one sector in the data zone of the DVD during encoding so that sector is generally unreadable. A DVD encoder for use in producing the copy protected disc is also provided.

1 - 65 . (canceled)  
     
     
         66 . A method for producing a signature on a digital optical disc (DVD) comprising: 
 non-destructively altering the content of at least one sector in the data zone of the DVD during encoding so that said at least one sector is generally unreadable.    
     
     
         67 . The method according to  claim 66 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering the contents of the sector header.    
     
     
         68 . The method according to  claim 67 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering at least one of a group including the ID (Identification Data), IED (ID Error Detection Code) and CPR_MAI (Copyright Management Information).    
     
     
         69 . The method according to  claim 66 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering the IED according to the ID;    computing the Error Detection Code (EDC) according to the ID and the altered ID; and    altering the computed EDC.    
     
     
         70 . The method according to  claim 66 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering at least one byte of the main data, after computing the EDC.    
     
     
         71 . The method according to  claim 66 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering the computed EDC after computing the EDC.    
     
     
         72 . A method for producing a signature on a digital optical disc (DVD) comprising: 
 appending least one sector in the data zone of the DVD; and    amending said at least one sector in the data zone of the DVD so that said at least one sector is generally unreadable, wherein said appending and amending are performed during encoding.    
     
     
         73 . The method according to  claim 72 , further comprising: 
 altering the contents of the sector header in the appended or replaced at least one sector.    
     
     
         74 . The method according to  claim 73 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering at least one of a group including the ID (Identification Data), IED (ID Error Detection Code) and CPR_MAI (Copyright Management Information).    
     
     
         75 . The method according to  claim 72 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering the IED according to the ID;    computing the EDC according the ID and the altered ID; and    altering the computed EDC.    
     
     
         76 . The method according to  claim 72 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering at least one byte of the main data, after computing the EDC.    
     
     
         77 . The method according to  claim 72 , wherein altering at least one sector comprises: 
 altering the computed EDC, after computing the EDC.    
     
     
         78 . A method for producing a signature on a digital optical disc (DVD) comprising: 
 generating at least one sector, each of said at least one sectors requiring at least two read operations to be read correctly.    
     
     
         79 . The method according to  claim 78 , wherein said generating comprises: 
 partially disabling error correction prior to EFM+ encoding; and    introducing at least one ambiguous symbol into an ECC block during EFM+ encoding.    
     
     
         80 . The method according to  claim 78 , wherein at least one ambiguous symbol comprises: 
 selecting at least one byte in at least one column of the ECC block.    
     
     
         81 . The method according to  claim 80 , wherein at least one ambiguous symbol further comprises: 
 encoding at least one data symbol in said column by the corresponding ambiguous representation of said at least one data symbol.    
     
     
         82 . The method according to  claim 80 , wherein partially disabling error correction comprises: 
 invalidating at least one outer parity symbol (P0) of the 16 PO bytes corresponding to the at least one column; and    invalidating at least one inner parity symbol (PI) of the 10 PI bytes corresponding to each row containing one of the invalidated outer parity symbols.    
     
     
         83 . The method according to  claim 82 , wherein invalidating comprises: 
 invalidating the sequence of bits in said at least one outer parity symbol (P0) and said at least one inner parity symbol (PI).    
     
     
         84 . A table for converting encoding 8-bit coded data into 16-bit encoded data code words, comprising: 
 at least one 16-bit encoded data generally capable of being read in at least two alternative ways, thereby returning the value of at least two different 8-bit decoded data.    
     
     
         85 . The table according to  claim 84 , wherein said at least one 16-bit encoded data code word comprises: 
 at least one transition, said at least one transition being shifted between a pair of encodings differing by one transition position.    
     
     
         86 . The table according to  claim 84 , further comprising: 
 a plurality of states, each of said plurality of states having at least one 16-bit encoded data capable of being read in one of two possible ways.    
     
     
         87 . A table for use with an EFM+ encoder comprising: 
 means for encoding 8-bit data into 16-bit encoded data, at least one 16-bit encoded data generally capable of being read in one of at least two possible ways.    
     
     
         88 . The table according to  claim 87 , wherein said at least one 16-bit encoded data code word comprises: 
 at least one transition; and    means for shifting said at least one transition between a pair of encodings differing by one transition position.    
     
     
         89 . A DVD encoder comprising: 
 a non-standard sector generator.    
     
     
         90 . The DVD encoder according to  claim 89  wherein said non-standard sector generator comprises at least one of a group including a sector header modifier and an EDC modifier.  
     
     
         91 . The DVD encoder according to  claim 90  wherein said sector header modifier comprises at least one of a group including an ID (Identification Data) modifier, an IED (ID Error Detection Code) modifier and a CPR_MAI (Copyright Management Information) modifier.  
     
     
         92 . A DVD encoder comprising: 
 an ECC block invalidator.    
     
     
         93 . The DVD encoder according to  claim 92  wherein said ECC block invalidator comprises: 
 an outer parity symbols (PO) invalidator for invalidating at least one outer parity symbol (PO) of the 16 PO bytes in at least one column of the ECC block;    an inner parity symbols (PI) invalidator for invalidating at least one inner parity symbol (PI) of the 10 PI bytes corresponding to each row containing one of the invalidated outer parity symbols; and    a data symbol replacer.    
     
     
         94 . The DVD encoder according to  claim 93  wherein said data symbol replacer comprises: 
 means for substituting at least one of the at least one outer parity symbols (PO) with a different symbol.    
     
     
         95 . The DVD encoder according to  claim 93  wherein said data symbol replacer comprises: 
 means for substituting at least one of the at least one inner parity symbols (PI) with a different symbol.    
     
     
         96 . A DVD disc comprising: 
 at least one unprocessed sector within the ECC block, said ECC block comprising a partially disabled ECC.    
     
     
         97 . The DVD disc according to  claim 96  wherein said at least one unprocessed sector is configured to require at least two read operations to be read correctly.  
     
     
         98 . The DVD disc according to  claim 96  wherein said at least one unprocessed sector is configured to require a first plurality of read operations to be read correctly, said first plurality of read operations being different from a second plurality of read operations required to read a processed sector within the ECC block.  
     
     
         99 . A DVD disc comprising: 
 a signature having at least one altered component in the lead-in zone of the DVD, said alteration being performed during encoding.    
     
     
         100 . The DVD disc according to  claim 99  wherein said at least one altered component comprises any one of a group including a changed Burst Cutting Area (BCA) descriptor and a changed Disc manufacturing information (DMI).  
     
     
         101 . A DVD disc comprising: 
 at least one altered sector in the data zone of the DVD said at least one sector being generally unreadable, said at least one altered sector being generated during EFM+ encoding.    
     
     
         102 . A DVD disc comprising: 
 at least one appended sector in the data zone of the DVD; and at least one amended sector in the data zone of the DVD, said at least one sector being generally unreadable, said appended and amended sectors being generated during EFM+ encoding.    
     
     
         103 . A DVD encoder comprising: 
 means for invalidating an ECC block.    
     
     
         104 . The DVD encoder according to  claim 103  wherein said means for invalidating an ECC block comprises: 
 means for invalidating outer parity symbols (P0);    means for invalidating inner parity symbols (PI); and    means for replacing a data symbol.