An apparatus for reading out information from an information carrier includes a reading unit for reading out user information and access information from the information carrier. The user information are stored in a first region of the information carrier and the access information are stored in a second region of the information carrier. The apparatus further includes an access controller for providing access to the user information in dependence on the access information. The access information are stored in a first portion of the second region, and the dummy information are stored in a second portion of the second region according to a similar format as used for storing the access information.

Disclosed are techniques and systems for manufacturing an optical disc having a stochastic (i.e., non-deterministic) anti-piracy feature in the form of a multi-spiral structure, and for verifying the feature on the optical disc to authenticate the disc for playback. The multi-spiral structure may be comprised of multiple partially interleaved, and partially overlapping, spiral data tracks formed in a designated area of the optical disc. A process of forming the multi-spiral structure may include forming, in the designated area, a first spiral data track with first track pitch and a second spiral data track with second track pitch that is different than the first track pitch. The multi-spiral structure may be analyzed to determine verification parameters for verifying the multi-spiral structure, and those verification parameters may be encrypted so that they may be subsequently decrypted and used to verify the multi-spiral structure on a disc reading device.