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From: scottdj@news-server.eecs.umich.edu (Scott Johnson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: copyright traps
Date: 17 Oct 2000 21:18:55 GMT

The UL about mapmakers deliberately inserting false names or locations on their maps as a form of copy protection has been discussed a number of times here, has a 'T.*' in the FAQ. I just came across an additional data point from another industry which may or may not be of interest. A new article in the online newszine EDN Access describes a similar practice by engineers in the design of complicated electonic devices.[1]

This article mentions a couple of practices that are fairly well known in computer engineering circles: designers frequently put their initials, little doodles, or other distinctive features in the design of their integrated circuits. These extras appear as part of the chip layout, and so are constructed as part of the integrated circuit as each chip is fabricated. Some designers have even taken to including small, functional components in their circuits which look like part of the device but in reality aren't connected to anything. As stated in the article, "These steps don't necessarily prevent someone from cloning or reverse-engineering the chip, but they prove effective in identifying the original source of the design in a court of law."

The article goes on to describe more elaborate techniques for foiling copiers, most of which are not traps as such but simply copy protection mechanisms. One more technique it mentions, though, is the inclusion of a unique identifier in chips which are going to be connected to a computer network. The network can then detect if multiple chips with the same ID are present. (This works just like the serial numbers on paper currency, though it's much easier to automatically detect copies electronically.)

Anyway, I don't know how much interest there still is in this topic, but I thought this might provide another perspective for those who had been following the earlier discussions.

[1] "Cunning Circuits Confound Crooks," Brian Dipert, available at http://www.ednmag.com/ednmag/reg/2000/10122000/21df2.htm. The section of particular relevance to copyright traps is about halfway down, titled "Foiling the thief".

Cheers!
--Scott "Unique" Iekel-Johnson

-- 

Scott Iekel-Johnson                      scottdj@eecs.umich.edu
Dept. of EECS, Univ. of Michigan         http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~scottdj
                                         (734) 763-5363
                  Finger for PGP public key.



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