Copy protection began as an option for copyrighting. With the growth of technology, it became easier for individuals to burn CDs from others and to download music for free online. Beyond this, individuals were able to take music, media and other parts of CDs and copy them as their own. This combination of problems led to the industry building a way to restrict the copies being made and to stop consumers from burning and downloading CDs or music.

The beginning of the copy that led to the changes in copy protection began with an online area, Napster. This area offered free copies of music by artists, which could be downloaded by any person who had the correct media player. By the year 2000, this became a popular way to download music, causing the industry to start setting restrictions on downloads.

The restrictions that began to take place has now developed into industry standards that are being forefronted by different groups and individuals. This specifically links to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which states that individuals are breaking the law for unauthorized downloads in any type of media, from CDs to DVDs. If an individual is caught breaking this, they are charged as breaking the law.

The copy protection began by placing certain changes in the drives of computers, specifically through CD – Rom drives, which changes the mixed mode of the CD and does not allow for multiple recordings to be placed on one CD. By doing this, it stopped mixes of CDs and burning of individual songs that were downloaded from the Internet. This began to mainstream copy protection and allowed for artists that were being played on the Internet to not have the capability to be downloaded as an individual track.

From this point, copy protection began to grow into an encryption. This means that all of the CDs that were produced not only contained the songs, but also stopped copies from being made. This concept is popular not only with CDs, but also with DVDs. By placing this encryption, a code is then given to the specific media file that there is a missing button, which does not allow the CD or DVD to be writable.

As this concept grew, so have technology options to stop copy from occurring. The most recent trend is with HD DVD as well as Blu-ray discs. With both of these formats, encryption is in place which allows not only for protection, but also blocks specific features while allowing others to be used in the correct way. This digital equipment is continuing to grow in popularity and is providing more possibilities for copy protection.

If you are duplicating a CD, it is important to know about the different possibilities for copy protection. This means looking into the encryption that is now being used for CDs or to invest in software that will provide certain levels of protection with your software. By doing this, you will then be able to block free downloading and burning onto new CDs and will allow your work to remain only from your CDs.

With technology, are also possibilities for new formatting and replication of CDs. If you want to ensure that your CDs stay only in what you have duplicated, checking the options to keep copy protected are also important. By mainstreaming and protecting all of your CDs and downloads, you will be able to keep the control of your media products and where they are going.

There are a large variety of brands that are available with equipment for CD duplication, all which have specific features and builds. The first part of the checklist that you want to look into is finding the brands that you know are durable, last for longer periods of time and work with your computer equipment. Searching for reviews and comparing your individual needs is the best way to filter down what your best options are.

After you have your brands narrowed down, you can look into some of the features that will fit you best. This is going to be based around your goals with the equipment and what you need. For instance, you want to check to make sure that the equipment is compatible with your computer and the software that you have installed. If not, and if you like the other features, you can always see if there are adapters that will help you to get what you need.

Beyond this, you will want to make sure that there are several options for features with the equipment. Everything from the memory that it holds to how many CDs it burns at one time can help you to determine what the best options are for your CDs. For instance, some equipment will only burn twenty CDs at one time, while others can burn up to 1,000 with replicating more than one CD at a time through towers. Knowing the vocabulary and the abilities of individual duplication machines will help you with determining what fits you.

Within these options are also the different types of printing capabilities. Silk screening to digital burning of graphics are available on a CD with duplication. Each of these options will look slightly different and will appeal to the eye in a different way. There are also newer technologies that are allowing for more details within the pictures and ways to create the perfect coloring within images. This is a large selling point for any piece of equipment and should be considered before buying.

Past this point, the CD duplication equipment becomes choices that are technically based. Things such as network compatibilities, types of CDs that can be burned, extra features and options and newer technology are all built into duplicators to create more appeal and to satisfy more needs of CD duplication owners. Narrowing down the pros and cons of each of these and what you are printing is something that you should always consider before buying.

With the popularity of CD duplication is also the need to narrow down the choices and find what best fits your needs. Reviewing, comparing and looking into new technology will help you to find the perfect match and to take the CD duplication and publishing process into your own hands.