Sony up the Barricades with Online Piracy Protection
Sony look to be ending all piracy and second-hand game dealery
Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan has announced that it will be introducing a new anti-piracy system to protect the PlayStation 2 from bootleggers.
As has been hoped for by all games companies, the Internet will provide the solution.
The system will be known as DNA-S and will see all PlayStation 2 game discs imprinted with a unique identification code or digital DNA. As with Sega’s Phantasy Star Online, the game ID and the machine ID will be authenticated through a security server. If the codes are not recognised or don’t tally up, the game will not run.
As well as stopping piracy this could be used to stamp out the trade in secondhand games, something that is already banned in Japan. In a test case last year, SCEJ argued that commercial dealing in second-hand software presented the same problems as piracy. In one way, this makes sense.
The games industry would like to see a ratio of 1:1 game sales to game player. If a game is bought by consumer 1, completed and traded in to a shop, where it is then bought by consumer 2, it is no different to consumer 2 buying a pirated version of the game. Understand?
In another way, this argument is completely flawed. The notion that every secondhand game sale represents a missed new sale is preposterous. Some people simply cannot afford to buy every game as new, not that this is any concern of the games industry. The ability to own and play video games, essentially luxury items, is not the birthright of every human being.
There is also the argument that stopping consumers’ ability to buy used games increases the chances of turning to piracy. With the DNA-S system, Sony should win both ways.
Terry Anslow of ELSPA’s anti-crime division said, “We are fully supportive of any measures taken by any companies be they hardware, Internet or software based. Encryption and dedicated game and machine ID may be the only way of putting a stop to organised piracy damaging the industry.” He went on, “As new technologies develop and the industry becomes more aware of the digital possibilities available to it, we will no doubt see more initiatives like this from Sony and the software based anti-piracy coding employed by Codemasters.”
As has been hoped for by all games companies, the Internet will provide the solution.
The system will be known as DNA-S and will see all PlayStation 2 game discs imprinted with a unique identification code or digital DNA. As with Sega’s Phantasy Star Online, the game ID and the machine ID will be authenticated through a security server. If the codes are not recognised or don’t tally up, the game will not run.
As well as stopping piracy this could be used to stamp out the trade in secondhand games, something that is already banned in Japan. In a test case last year, SCEJ argued that commercial dealing in second-hand software presented the same problems as piracy. In one way, this makes sense.
The games industry would like to see a ratio of 1:1 game sales to game player. If a game is bought by consumer 1, completed and traded in to a shop, where it is then bought by consumer 2, it is no different to consumer 2 buying a pirated version of the game. Understand?
In another way, this argument is completely flawed. The notion that every secondhand game sale represents a missed new sale is preposterous. Some people simply cannot afford to buy every game as new, not that this is any concern of the games industry. The ability to own and play video games, essentially luxury items, is not the birthright of every human being.
There is also the argument that stopping consumers’ ability to buy used games increases the chances of turning to piracy. With the DNA-S system, Sony should win both ways.
Terry Anslow of ELSPA’s anti-crime division said, “We are fully supportive of any measures taken by any companies be they hardware, Internet or software based. Encryption and dedicated game and machine ID may be the only way of putting a stop to organised piracy damaging the industry.” He went on, “As new technologies develop and the industry becomes more aware of the digital possibilities available to it, we will no doubt see more initiatives like this from Sony and the software based anti-piracy coding employed by Codemasters.”
Companies:
Sony
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