Legal Definitions - anticircumvention device

An anticircumvention device refers to any technology or tool specifically designed to prevent people from bypassing, disabling, or getting around a security measure that protects copyrighted material. Essentially, it's a safeguard built into a system to stop unauthorized access, copying, or use of creative works like software, movies, or music that are legally protected.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Software Licensing Protection: Imagine a company that develops professional graphic design software. To ensure users have purchased a legitimate copy, the software requires a unique license key for activation. The software itself contains internal code that not only verifies this license key but also actively monitors for and blocks attempts by "cracking" software or "key generators" designed to trick the program into thinking it has a legitimate license without one. The part of the software that detects and blocks these circumvention tools is an anticircumvention device, as it prevents unauthorized access to the copyrighted software.

• Online Course Content Security: An online education platform offers premium courses featuring copyrighted video lectures and downloadable study materials. The platform employs a digital rights management (DRM) system that encrypts the video streams and prevents direct downloading. Additionally, this system incorporates technology that detects and disables common screen-recording software when a protected video is playing, thereby preventing unauthorized capture and distribution of the copyrighted lecture content. The technology that specifically blocks screen recording software is an anticircumvention device.

• Video Game Anti-Tampering Systems: A video game developer releases a new game that requires an online connection for initial activation and periodically checks for legitimate ownership. The game's software includes a robust anti-tampering system that not only verifies the game's authenticity but also actively scans for and prevents the use of "mods" or "trainers" that attempt to modify the game's code to bypass activation checks or unlock content without purchase. This anti-tampering system, specifically its ability to thwart attempts to circumvent the game's security measures, functions as an anticircumvention device.