How to Protect a CD Against Illegal Copying

Copy protection is just one way to keep your sensitive information safe.

Professionally manufactured game and music discs often come with a full suite of copyright protection mechanisms to help prevent thieves from making illegal copies of their content. While many functions of professional-grade copyright protection are unavailable to the general public due to their expense and complexity (game developers, for instance, have entire departments dedicated to creating new copyright protection), you can add an extra layer of security to your own CD and DVD copies with certain software burning suites.

Things You'll Need

• Nero burning software (Windows)
• Toast burning software (Mac)
• SecurDisc-capable disc burner
• Blank DVD or CD

Instructions

Protect with Nero (Windows)

1. Open the Nero burning software, select the “Data” tab, and click “SecurDisc Data CD” or “SecurDisc Data DVD,” whichever is appropriate for the disc you wish to burn.

2. Click “Add” to open the “Add files and folders” window. From here, choose the files you wish to burn and click the “Add” button.

3. Add a password to your disc by clicking the “Protect data by password” check box on the left side of the screen. You can also add a digital signature to your disc by checking the corresponding check box.

4. Press the “Next” button to move to the final burn settings screen. Click the check box next to “Copy protection” to further secure your disc, then insert a blank disc into your disc tray and click the “Burn” button to complete the burn,

Protect with Toast (Mac)

1. Open the Toast burning software. Click the “Audio” tab, and select “Audio CD.”

2. Drag the files you wish to burn into the Toast project area.

3. Double-click any track in your project area and select "Track" from the Disc/Track menu.

4. Check the box next to “Digital Copy Prohibited” and click “Apply to All.” Click “OK.” Your tracks are now protected.

5. Insert a blank DVD or CD into your disc drive and hit the "burn" button in the lower right-hand corner of the Toast window to complete your burn.

Tips & Warnings

• It may be a good idea to keep a couple of non-protected copies around in case you need to restore or recover lost data. If you create only protected discs, you may be unable to circumvent the protection in an emergency situation.

• Never attempt to overwrite or break copy protection software on copyrighted works that do not belong to you. This may be in violation of international copyright law and is considered piracy.

References

• Roxio Support: Copy Protection
• Nero Support Home
• Nero Support: SecurDisk