Software blacklisting is a tool used by manufacturers of software and music on CD and DVD. The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

Essentially the software on the disc will audit the user's computer for certain types of virtual CD and CD authoring software, or for debugging software used by warez groups to create patches (known as cracks) that bypass copy prevention schemes. If blacklisted software is found then certain actions are taken by the software on the game or music disc. Examples would be allowing the copying of the game to take place, but crashing the copied game when attempting to start it; allowing copies of games that will malfunction in subtle ways; simply disallowing the game to be run while this software exists etc. A debugger is a computer program that is used to debug (and sometimes test or optimize) other programs. ... A street vendor packing up his display of counterfeit cds after being photographed. ... In computing, a patch is a software update meant to fix problems with a computer program. ... Definition: Software cracking is the modification of software to remove encoded copy prevention. ... Copy prevention, also known as copy protection, is any technical measure designed to prevent duplication of information. ...

This software blacklisting can be seen as a countermeasure to virtual CD/CD burning software used to bypass copy prevention schemes such as SecuROM, SafeDisc, Laserlock, and many others. Copy prevention, also known as copy protection, is any technical measure designed to prevent duplication of information. ... SecuROM is a CD/DVD copy protection solution, most often used for Computer games, by Sony DADC. SecuROM aims to resist home media duplication devices, professional duplicators and reverse engineering attempts. ... SafeDisc is a CD/DVD copy protection solution by Macrovision Corporation. ...

In order to copy the CD, the user may have to copy the disc on another computer (real or virtual), uninstall the blacklisted software or wait for an update of the blacklisted software, that will have a countermeasure to the game or music disc's own blacklisting countermeasure.

This process of measure, countermeasure and counter-countermeasure can be seen as part of a growing trend that pits consumer against manufacturer, with each trying to wrest control of software and its use from the other.

Examples of commonly-blacklisted software are Alcohol 120% and CloneCD. Alcohol 120% and its brother Alcohol 52% are disc writing and management software created by Alcohol Soft of the Fubra Group, mostly known for their features common to disk image emulators. ... CloneCD is a proprietary computer program that makes copies of music and data CDs regardless of any copy protection measures. ...