Systems and methods for securing content delivered using a playlist

• US 10,045,093 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Original Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Inventors: Thorwirth, Niels J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mahfuzur
• Application Number:
  US15/389,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20170208372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23895 involving multiplex stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention enhance the security of content distribution using individualized playlists. In many embodiments, a playlist is individually composed for a client device so that the selection of content included in the playlist encodes information. One embodiment includes generating a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier, selecting between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence, where each of the alternative chunks of encoded content includes the same perceptual content and differs in the way it is watermarked, and listing the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence.

Claims

1. A method of generating a unique playlists, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, and the method of generating the unique playlist comprises:

generating a unique watermark sequence using a server, where the unique watermark sequence is a unique identifier for a client device;

encoding, using the server, a plurality of alternative groups of chunks of encoded content for each of a plurality of sections of a piece of content, where each of the alternative groups of chunks contains a plurality of chunks having different embedded digital watermark information from chunks in another alternative group of chunks, and where each chunk within an alternative group of chunks includes the same perceptual content encoded using the same embedded digital watermark information but encoded at a different bitrate using different encoding parameters as another chunk within the alternative group of chunks;

selecting an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the unique watermark sequence using the server;

listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist using the server, where the sequence of chunks assembled in the playlist is based on the unique watermark sequence;

sending the playlist to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the alternative groups of chunks includes an imperceptibly embedded watermark, and at least one of the alternative groups of chunks is unmodified.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the alternative groups of chunks includes a different imperceptibly embedded watermark.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the alternative groups of chunks includes a different amount of embedded information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of alternative groups of chunks differs for different sections of the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected chunks are listed in the playlist using links to the selected chunks of encoded content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the links is a single use link.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each single use link includes a unique token.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the links is a destination link.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each destination link includes a token indicative of a client device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting a playlist-bound key into the playlist.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the unique watermark sequence further comprises selecting between alternative groups of chunks where each of the alternative groups of chunks is encrypted in a different way.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the alternative groups of chunks is encrypted using a different encryption key.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of an alternative groups of chunks is performed as the unique watermark sequence is generated.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist using the server comprises listing, in an M3U playlist file, URLs pointing to the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting chunks to download using the client device based upon the playlist comprises identifying a bitrate for chunks to select, and the method further comprises:

receiving a request for a chunk of encoded content from the client device, where the request comprises a token that specifically identifies the client device;

determining a set of watermark information to be associated with the chunk of encoded content based on the received token; and

sending to the client device a chunk of encoded content marked with the determined set of watermark information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the token is part of a URL link.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the request is a first request in a sequence of requests for a sequence of chunks of encoded content, each request comprising a corresponding token;

wherein determining the set of watermark information to be associated with the chunks of encoded content comprises identifying a unique watermark sequence of sets of watermark information to be associated with the chunks of encoded content, where each set of watermark information for a chunk is based on the corresponding token in the request for that chunk.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising rejecting the request when a previous request has used the same token.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the token is obfuscated to hide information stored in the token.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the token is digital signed to obfuscate the stored information.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the plurality of alternative groups of chunks of encoded content in a single file by the server.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting chunks to download using the client device based upon the playlist and retrieving the selected chunks by requesting byte ranges from the server.

24. A method of providing content for downloading using a plurality of unique playlists, comprising:

encoding a plurality of sections of a piece of content, using a server, as a plurality of alternative groups of chunks, where each of the alternative groups of chunks contains a plurality of chunks having different embedded digital watermark information from chunks in another alternative group of chunks, and where each chunk within an alternative group of chunks includes the same perceptual content encoded using the same embedded digital watermark information but encoded at a different bitrate using different encoding parameters as another chunk within the alternative group of chunks;

generating a plurality of unique playlists using the server, where each unique playlist is generated based upon a corresponding unique watermark sequence by;

generating a unique watermark sequence using the server, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier for a client device;

selecting an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the unique watermark sequence using the server; and

listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a unique playlist, where the sequence of chunks assembled in the playlist is based on the unique watermark sequence;

providing each of the plurality of unique playlists to each of a plurality of client devices using the server.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist comprises listing, in an M3U playlist file, URLs pointing to the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks.

26. A system configured to generate a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, the system comprising:

a server configured to generate a unique watermark sequence using a processor on the server, where each unique watermark sequence is a unique identifier for a client device;

wherein the server is also configured to encode a plurality of alternative groups of chunks of encoded content for each of a plurality of sections of a piece of content using the processor, where each of the alternative groups of chunks contains a plurality of chunks having different embedded digital watermark information from chunks in another alternative group of chunks, and where each chunk within an alternative group of chunks includes the same perceptual content encoded using the same embedded digital watermark information but encoded at a different bitrate using different encoding parameters as another chunk within the alternative group of chunks;

wherein the server is also configured to select an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the unique watermark sequence, using the processor;

wherein the server is configured to, using the processor;

list the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist, where the sequence of chunks assembled in the playlist is based on the unique watermark sequence;

send the playlist to a client device; and

send chunks to the client device in response to requests for the chunks, where the client device does not possess information enabling access to chunks in the alternative groups of chunks stored on the server that are not referenced by the playlist.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the server being configured to list the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist comprises the server being configured to list, in an M3U playlist file, URLs pointing to the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks.