Instance specific digital watermarks

• US 20030196093A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Wu, Hsi-Cheng, Raley, Michael, Ta, Thanh, Chen, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,269,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1083 Partial license transfers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamically applying digital watermarks. Requested content is sent to a security module of a user device. A digital watermark is dynamically determined based at least on instance information about a rendering engine of the user device. The digital watermark is then rendered with the content using the rendering engine of the user device.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically applying digital watermarks to content comprising:

means for sending a request for use of content by a user device;

means for forwarding the requested content to a security module of the user device;

means for dynamically determining a digital watermark based at least on instance information about a rendering engine coupled to the security module of the user device;

means for associating the digital watermark with the content and rendering the content with the digital watermark using the rendering engine of the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic digital watermark supplements an existing digital watermark that is also rendered by said rendering engine.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital watermark is visible.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital watermark is not visible.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital watermark comprises at least one of origin information, copyright information and owner information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for dynamically determining comprise at least one of installed software and hardware on the user device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instance information about a rendering engine of the user device comprises information about the method of rendering.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital watermark is unique to the instance information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital watermark comprises information about at least one of the rendering engine device and the user device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for dynamically determining is further based on information about at least one distributor of the content.

11. A method of dynamically applying digital watermarks to content, said method comprising:

sending a request for use of content by a user device;

forwarding the requested content to a security module of the user device;

dynamically determining a digital watermark based at least on instance information about a rendering engine coupled to the security module of the user device;

associating the digital watermark with the content; and

rendering the content with the digital watermark using the rendering engine of the user device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dynamic digital watermark supplements an existing digital watermark that is also rendered.during said rendering step.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital watermark is visible.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital watermark is not visible.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital watermark comprises at least one of origin information, copyright information and owner information.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of dynamically determining is further based on at least one of installed software and hardware on the user device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the instance information comprises information about the method of rendering.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital watermark is unique to the instance information.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital watermark comprises information about at least one of the rendering engine device and the user device.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said determining step is further based on information about at least one distributor of content.