California-based Oak Technology Inc., a provider of components for the optical-storage and digital-imaging markets, has signed a deal with RPK SecureMedia Inc., the U.S. parent of New Zealand-founded encryption specialist RPK.
RPK SecureMedia and Oak announced a program under which they will collaborate on the development of chip-based technology for securing content on optical media. The chip-based approach to content protection at the controller level offers greater protection and compatibility than media-based options, which are more susceptible to hacking or reverse-engineering, says RPK.
Applications for this technology include the distribution of music, video and software intellectual property.
Oak Technology plans to make the technology available across a wide variety of optical disc platforms including CD-ROM, CD-R/W, DVD-ROM, DVD-Writable, audio CD and DVD player devices. Oak claims its chips are already used by six of the seven leading CD-RW drive manufacturers, presenting a potentially huge market for the chips it will be developing with RPK.
RPK was founded in 1996 by Auckland-based Bill Raike. It still has a research and development arm in New Zealand. RPK SecureMedia recently signed a deal with streaming media firm Real Networks.