Fingerprinting of data

• US 20040260930A1
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sahi, Raja, Malik, Sumit
• Granted Patent: US 7,068,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• 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 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm

Abstract

A fingerprinting apparatus, comprising: a plurality of receiving units to receive a plurality of input datasets, each of the plurality of input datasets divided into a plurality of input segments, at least one of the plurality of input datasets uniquely marked; a selector to select at least one input segment from one of at least two different input datasets of the plurality of input datasets; and at least one combiner to arrange the selected at least one input segment to produce an output dataset having a plurality of output segments, such that the number of output segments is equal to the number of input segments in each input dataset.

Claims

1. A method of fingerprinting, comprising:

receiving a plurality of input datasets, each of said plurality of input datasets divided into a plurality of input segments, at least one of said plurality of input datasets uniquely marked;

selecting at least one input segment from one of at least two different input datasets of said plurality of input datasets; and

arranging said selected at least one input segment to produce an output dataset having a plurality of output segments, such that the number of output segments is equal to the number of input segments in each input dataset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of said plurality of input datasets includes an unmarked input dataset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each uniquely marked input dataset is marked using watermarking, such that the watermarking is imperceptible to human sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one input segment includes pseudo-randomly selecting at least one input segment from one of at least two different input datasets.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a pseudo-random sequence to enable pseudo-random selection of the input segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one input segment includes pseudo-randomly selecting a sequence of input segments from one of at least two different input datasets, such that the sequence is selected to provide a relatively high probability of uniquely identifying said output dataset even when said output dataset is partially copied.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting a sequence of input segments includes building a pseudo-random sequence of segments, the pseudo-random sequence providing information about which input segment was used to build the corresponding output segment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pseudo-random sequence is represented as a representative master key (RMK).

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the pseudo-random sequence is represented as a sequence of tuples.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

burning said produced output dataset onto a physical medium.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

linking said pseudo-random sequence of segments to said physical medium to uniquely identify each physical medium.

12. A fingerprinting apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of receiving units to receive a plurality of input datasets, each of the plurality of input datasets divided into a plurality of input segments, at least one of the plurality of input datasets uniquely marked;

a selector to select at least one input segment from one of at least two different input datasets of the plurality of input datasets; and

at least one combiner to arrange the selected at least one input segment to produce an output dataset having a plurality of output segments, such that the number of output segments is equal to the number of input segments in each input dataset.

13. The fingerprinting apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the plurality of input datasets includes an unmarked input dataset.

14. The fingerprinting apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a pseudo-random number generator to generate a sequence of pseudo-random numbers.

15. The fingerprinting apparatus of claim 14, wherein said selector is configured to receive the sequence of pseudo-random numbers, such that said selector selects the at least one input segment based on the received sequence of pseudo-random numbers.

16. The fingerprinting apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a media recording device to record the produced output dataset onto a physical medium.

17. The fingerprinting apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a storage device that links the sequence of pseudo-random numbers to the physical medium to uniquely identify each physical medium.

18. A fingerprinting system for fingerprinting media, comprising:

a receiver to receive said media divided into a plurality of media segments;

a first encoder to mark said media, said first encoder producing at least one marked media, each of the at least one marked media divided into a plurality of marked media segments;

a second encoder to compress said media and the at least one marked media;

a selector to select at least one media or marked media segment from one of said media and the at least one marked media; and

at least one combiner to arrange the selected at least one media or marked media segment to produce fingerprinted media having a plurality of fingerprinted segments, such that the number of fingerprinted segments is equal to the number of media or marked media segments in each media or marked media.

19. The fingerprinting system of claim 18, further comprising:

a pseudo-random number generator to generate a sequence of pseudo-random numbers.

20. The fingerprinting system of claim 19, wherein said selector is configured to receive the sequence of pseudo-random numbers, such that said selector selects a media or marked media segment based on the received sequence of pseudo-random numbers

21. The fingerprinting system of claim 19, further comprising;

a media recording device to record the produced fingerprinted media onto a physical medium.

22. The fingerprinting system of claim 21, further comprising:

a storage device that links the sequence of pseudo-random numbers to the physical medium to uniquely identify the medium.

23. The fingerprinting system of claim 21, wherein the physical medium includes DVD or video tape.

24. The fingerprinting system of claim 21, wherein the physical medium includes content downloaded from the Internet.

25. The fingerprinting system of claim 21, wherein the physical medium includes video-on-demand content transported as stream of data.

26-31. -31. (Canceled)

32. A computer program, stored in a tangible storage medium, for use in fingerprinting an output dataset having a plurality of output segments, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

receive a plurality of input datasets, each of said plurality of input datasets divided into a plurality of input segments, at least one of said plurality of input datasets uniquely marked;

select at least one input segment from one of at least two different input datasets of said plurality of input datasets; and

arrange said selected at least one input segment to produce an output dataset having a plurality of output segments, such that the number of output segments is equal to the number of input segments in each input dataset.

33-37. -37. (Canceled)

38. A fingerprinting apparatus, comprising:

a means for receiving a plurality of input datasets, each of the plurality of input datasets divided into a plurality of input segments, at least one of the plurality of input datasets uniquely marked;

a means for selecting at least one input segment from one of at least two different input datasets of the plurality of input datasets; and

at least one means for arranging the selected at least one input segment to produce an output dataset having a plurality of output segments, such that the number of output segments is equal to the number of input segments in each input dataset.

39. A fingerprinting system for fingerprinting media, comprising:

a means for receiving said media divided into a plurality of media segments;

a means for marking said media, said first encoder producing at least one marked media, each of the at least one marked media divided into a plurality of marked media segments;

a means for compressing said media and the at least one marked media; and

a means for selecting at least one media or marked media segment from one of said media and the at least one marked media; and

at least one means for arranging the selected at least one media or marked media segment to produce fingerprinted media having a plurality of fingerprinted segments, such that the number of fingerprinted segments is equal to the number of media or marked media segments in each media or marked media.