Ricoh Co Ltd has increased production of hybrid discs that combine a CD-ROM with a CD-R and have a copy protection feature.

The disc is the same size as a regular CD-R and offers 650MB of data storage, but also features an embedded program that acts as a key necessary for reproducing data. Unlike conventional CD-Rs, which can be read by anyone, the hybrid disc prevents data leaks by requiring the user to enter a password before reading it.

This spring the company turned out 10,000 to 20,000 units per month, but at the end of July it boosted output to 100,000 units per month in anticipation of demand growth due to the high incidence of corporate data leaks.

The discs currently sell for less than 100 yen each, and their use could be expanded if the price dropped as a result of mass production. The company has also developed a CD-RW/CD-ROM hybrid with the same copy protection feature, and aims to commercialize it in the near future.

From NEAsia