Digital watermarking for workflow

• US 20050249374A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Kenneth L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• 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 20/00137 involving measures which result in a restriction to contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier to authorised users
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00173 wherein the origin of the content is checked, e.g. determining whether the content has originally been retrieved from a legal disc copy or another trusted source
• 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 20/00507 wherein consecutive physical data units of the record carrier are encrypted with separate encryption keys, e.g. the key changes on a cluster or sector basis
• 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 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• 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 21/8358 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

Abstract

Digital watermarking provides a chain of custody for video in movie studios. Several novel improvements in workflow processes for digital watermarking provide chains of custody. In a first implementation, a digital watermark payload includes an embedder ID and time stamp. The embedder ID is associated with a controlling PC user log, including, e.g., the user log being linked to a biometric of the user. In a second implementation, a video player is forced to run a video digital watermark embedder based upon a rights command, where an ID embedded in a watermark payload is determined solely by the embedder. A third implementation encrypts a conglomerate of watermarked segments of video so that a rendering device can decrypt the segments in a manner to produce different results in each usage dependent upon the key. A fourth implementation embeds digital watermarks in DVD disk images during delivery to a duplication house.

Claims

1. An computerized apparatus comprising:

a controller;

router; and

a digital watermark embedder,

wherein said controller controls said router and includes or communicates with an associated data record, the data record maintaining a time-based user log to track which users access the apparatus relative to time, said controller providing user information to the data record to update the data record, and

wherein said digital watermark embedder automatically embeds an embedder ID and time stamp into content provided from the router, the embedder ID being uniquely associated with the apparatus or controller such that the content is traceable via the embedder ID and time stamp to a user of the apparatus via reference to the associated data record at a particular time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said content comprises video and said router comprises a video router.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller requires the user to present a biometric prior to allowing access to the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controller controls said digital watermark embedder to change an embedder ID.

5. A method of embedding digital watermarks in content comprising:

tracking users relative to time on a computer system;

updating a data record to reflect which users accessed the computer system with respect to time;

automatically embedding a digital watermark including an identifier in a copy of content, wherein the identifier is uniquely associated with the data record, and wherein said digital watermark further comprises a timestamp;

upon receipt of the identifier, identifying the data record, and upon receipt identifying a user in the data record that is associated with a time represented by the timestamp.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said content comprise video content, and said router is a video router.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising requiring a biometric prior to allowing user access to the computer system.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said tracking user activity comprises tracking user activity across a plurality of computer systems, wherein the identifier is changed to reflect which of the computer systems is active.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein said content comprises video.

10. A method of rendering steganographically embedded content comprising:

searching content or data associated with content for a rights command, wherein the rights command specifies restrictions associated with rendering the content, and wherein at least one of the restriction comprises steganographically embedding the content upon rendering;

steganographically embedding an identifier in the content, wherein the identifier is uniquely determined by a watermark embedder cooperating with a content rendering device; and

rendering the content.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said identifier is related to a user license.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said identifier comprises a rendering device identifier.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said identifier is related to a user via a restricted database.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said content comprises video.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said identifier is related to a user license.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said identifier includes a rendering device identifier.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said rights command conforms to a rights language.

18. A method to forensically track content embedded with a digital watermark comprising:

receiving a watermark identifier;

identifying a data record from among a plurality of data records based on the watermark identifier;

receiving a timestamp; and

identifying a user that is associated with a time indicated by the timestamp.