SafeDisc is a copy protection program for Microsoft Windows applications and games distributed on optical disc.
[1] Although the stated use is to prevent piracy, many, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, believe it is used to restrict one's fair-use rights.
Recent versions 2.9+ could produce discs that are difficult to copy or reverse engineer, requiring specific burners capable of emulating the "weak sectors" and odd data formats that are characteristic of SafeDisc.
[4][5] Support for SafeDisc on earlier versions of Windows was withdrawn upon the release of update number 3086255 in 2015.
[6] Previous versions of SafeDisc were overcome by disc image emulator software such as Daemon Tools and Alcohol 120%.
SafeDisc adds a unique digital signature to the optical media at the time of replication.
SafeDisc will permit this as long as the consumer retains the original CD or DVD, which is required for authentication each time the program is launched.
Failure to place the original disc in the drive when loading the program will prevent validation of the SafeDisc signature.
In addition, SafeDisc Version 2.50 added ATIP detection making it impossible to use a copy in a burner unless software that masks this is used (CloneCD has the ability to do this.
[8] SafeDisc v3 uses a key to encrypt the main executable (EXE or DLL) and creates a corresponding digital signature which is added to the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM when they are replicated.
It lost ground to SecuROM over time, with the final build being version 4.90.010 in May 2008, and with the product being discontinued on March 30, 2009.