What is SCMS?
SCMS is an acronym which stands for Serial Copy Management System. SCMS is an industry standard method of copy protection to prevent the widespread duplication of commercially available digital products onto recordable digital media. With respect to DAT, SCMS allows for one archive copy of a CD to DAT and one archive copy of a master DAT. A code is automatically placed on the DAT by the hardware being used. The code is such that, once one archive copy code has been written to the DAT no further duplication is allowed. Pro-decks do not write a copy-prohibit SCMS code to tape. SCMS was a compromise reached between the recording industry and the manufacturers to, supposedly, prevent the widespread copying of CDS onto recordable digital technology… i.e., bootlegging. Since it penalizes or limits people with honest intentions, most people do not like SCMS. Additionally, most agree that SCMS does not prevent bootlegging, and therefore, has failed miserably on all accounts to have any usefu
