Steganographic techniques for securely delivering electronic digital rights management control information over insecure communication channels

• US 20010026618A1
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Published: 10/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Weber, Robert p., Van Wie, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,449,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1483 using an access-table, e.g. matrix or list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00159 Parental control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00195 using a device identifier associated with the player or recorder, e.g. serial numbers of playback apparatuses or MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00557 wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10916 Seeking data on the record carrier for preparing an access to a specific address
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 : on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40104 : Security; Encryption; Content protection cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 : Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91321 : the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91328 : the copy protection signal being a copy management signal, e.g. a copy generation management signal [CGMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 : the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 : the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 : involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 : Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 : for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 : using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 : Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44236 : Monitoring of piracy processes or activities protecting computer platforms against harmful, malicious or unexpected behaviour or activities using intrusion detection and counter measures G06F21/566; computer virus detection and handling G06F21/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 : Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• 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 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 : the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

Electronic steganographic techniques can be used to encode a rights management control signal onto an information signal carried over an insecure communications channel. Steganographic techniques ensure that the digital control information is substantially invisibly and substantially indelibly carried by the information signal. These techniques can provide end-to-end rights management protection of an information signal irrespective of transformations between analog and digital. An electronic appliance can recover the control information and use it for electronic rights management to provide compatibility with a Virtual Distribution Environment. In one example, the system encodes low data rate pointers within high bandwidth time periods of the content signal to improve overall control information read/seek times.

Claims

1. A rights management method comprising:

(a) receiving an information signal;

(b) steganographically decoding the received information signal to recover digital rights management control information; and

(c) performing at least one rights management operation based at least in part on the recovered digital rights management control information.

2. A method as in

claim 1

wherein receiving step (a) comprises receiving an analog signal steganographically encoded with the digital rights management control information, and decoding step (b) comprises steganographically decoding the analog signal.

3. A method as in

claim 1

wherein performing step (c) comprises the step of selectively enabling descrambling of the information signal.

4. A method as in

claim 1

wherein performing step (c) comprises the step of selectively enabling decrypting of the information signal.

5. A method as in

claim 1

wherein decoding step (b) comprises recovering digital rights management control information packaged within at least one digital container, and performing step (c) comprises performing the rights management operation based at least in part on the recovered digital rights management control information.

6. A method as in

claim 1

wherein the decoding step (b) includes the step of steganographically decoding information representing at least one permissions record.

7. A method as in

claim 1

further including the step of decrypting contents of the digital container for use in performing step (c).

8. A method as in

claim 1

wherein the information signal carries further information in addition to the steganographically encoded information, and the performing step (b) comprises the step of managing at least one right in respect of the further information.

9. A method as in

claim 1

wherein the decoding step (b) includes the step of analyzing the information signal using a spectral transform.

10. A method as in

claim 1

wherein the decoding step (b) includes the step of analyzing the information signal using a key-based steganographic decoder.

11. A method as in

claim 1

wherein the decoding step (b) includes the step of steganographically decoding a pointer that points to another portion of the information signal.

12. A method as in

claim 1

wherein the steganographically encoded container includes at least one organization structure, and the decoding step (b) comprises steganographically decoding the organizational structure.

13. A rights management method comprising:

(a) receiving an information signal;

(b) steganographically decoding the received information signal to recover at least one rights management permission; and

(c) performing at least one rights management operation based at least in part on the recovered rights management permission.

14. A virtual distribution environment comprising:

plural tamper-resistant protected processing environments coupled together via at least one communications path; and

means for delivering, to the plural tamper-resistant protected processing environments, an information signal having at least one digital rights management control set substantially invisibly and substantially indelibly encoded thereon.

15. An electronic appliance comprising:

decoding means for steganographically decoding a signal to provide control information; and

rights management means coupled to the decoding means for performing at least one rights management operation based at least in part on the control information.

16. An appliance as in

claim 15

wherein the rights management means includes means for means for selectively blocking the signal.

17. An appliance as in

claim 15

wherein the rights management means includes means for selectively descrambling the signal.

18. An appliance as in

claim 15

wherein the rights management means includes means for authenticating a further appliance before delivering the signal to said further appliance.

19. An appliance as in

claim 15

wherein the rights management means includes means for requiring that a further appliance present an appropriate digital certificate before delivering the signal to said further appliance.

20. An appliance as in

claim 15

wherein the right management means includes means for fingerprinting the signal based at least in part on the control information.

21. An appliance as in

claim 15

wherein the right management means includes means for further steganographically encoding the signal based at least in part on the control information.

22. An electronic appliance comprising:

a steganographic decoder that steganographically decode a signal to provide control information; and

rights management component coupled to the decoder, the rights management component performing at least one rights management operation based at least in part on the control information.

23. An appliance as in

claim 22

wherein the rights management component includes or controls a signal blocking circuit that selectively blocks the signal.

24. An appliance as in

claim 22

wherein the rights management component includes or controls a signal descrambler.

25. An appliance as in

claim 22

wherein the rights management component includes an authenticating circuit for authenticating a further appliance before delivering the signal to said further appliance.

26. An appliance as in

claim 22

wherein the rights management component includes a circuit for requiring that a further appliance present an appropriate digital certificate before delivering the signal to said further appliance.

27. An appliance as in

claim 22

wherein the rights management component includes a circuit for fingerprinting the signal based at least in part on the control information.

28. An appliance as in

claim 22

wherein the rights management component includes a circuit for further steganographically encoding the signal based at least in part on the control information.

29. A method of steganographically encoding a signal comprising:

providing at least one organization structure including control information;

selectively encrypting at least a part of the organizational structure;

frequency transforming an input signal;

encoding the input signal with the selectively encrypted organizational structure in such a way so as to make the encoded organizational structure substantially indelible and substantially invisible; and

delivering the encoded input signal.