Locking Down Intellectual Property in Embedded Systems

Phil Giordano and Wassim Bassalee, Analog Devices
(08/21/2007 12:15 AM EDT) -- EE Times

Embedded systems developers want to protect their intellectual property (IP) for financial, competitive, and legal reasons. Aside from protecting their own IP, developers may be obligated to secure libraries or rights managed content obtained from an outside vendor. Failing to protect the IP of outside vendors may expose developers to legal and financial risks.

This article focuses on methods of securing IP in embedded systems. We will examine past and current approaches and look ahead to new embedded processing solutions that offer new options for developers wanting to protect their IP.

Techniques for protecting IP in embedded systems vary greatly. These techniques rely on software, hardware, or a combination of both to prevent reverse engineering and IP theft.

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