Limiting distribution of copy-protected material to geographic regions

• US 20060195838A1
• Filed: 02/25/2004
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Epstein, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US10/548,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• 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 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/122 involving the detection of an identification or authentication mark record carriers indicating unauthorised or prior use G11B23/28
• 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 20/00739 wherein the usage restriction is associated with a specific geographical region
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/50 characterised by the use of watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/16 on playing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/18 on copying information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/50 of broadcast or relay stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• 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 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

A method and system (200) marks (170) a copy of copy-protected material (202) with a geographic marker based on a geographic region of the source of the copy. Conforming rendering devices are configured to prevent (140) the rendering of copy protected material (201) that have geographic markers that differ (120) from the geographic region associated with the rendering device. Any of a variety of techniques are used to determine the geographic location of the rendering device (200), including the geographic location of the rendering device that produces the original copy. Preferably, each copy (202) of the copy-protected material also includes an identifier of the rendering device (200) that produced the copy, and subsequent renderings of copies by the same rendering device are permitted (130) regardless of geographic locale, thereby allowing for the relocation of a consumer'"'"'s rendering devices and libraries of material.

Claims

1. A method of copy-protection, comprising:

receiving content material at a rendering system (200),

determining (120) whether the content material includes a geographic marker,

rendering (180) the content material based on a correspondence between the geographic marker and an identified locale of the rendering system (200).

2. The method of claim 1, further including

determining the identified locale of the rendering system (200).

3. The method of claim 1, further including

marking (170) a copy of the content material with a new geographic marker corresponding to the identified locale of the rendering system (200).

4. The method of claim 3, further including

marking the copy of the content material with an identification of the rendering system (200).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the geographic marker is included in a watermark that is bound to the content material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the content material includes an identification of a source of the content material, and

the method further includes

rendering (130-180) the content material if the identification of the source corresponds to an identification of the rendering system (200).

7. A copy-protection system (200), comprising:

a renderer (220) that is configured to selectively render content material, and

a geographic checker (230), operably coupled to the renderer (220), that is configured to control the renderer (220) based on a correspondence between a geographic marker of the content material and an identified locale of the system (200).

8. The system (200) of claim 7, further including

a reader (210), operably coupled to the renderer (220), that is configured to receive the content material.

9. The system (200) of claim 8, wherein

the reader (210) is further configured to provide the geographic marker to the geographic checker (230).

10. The system (200) of claim 7, further including

a marking device (240), operably coupled to the renderer (220), that is configured to add a new geographic marker corresponding to the locale of the system (200) to a copy of the content material provided by the renderer (220).

11. The system (200) of claim 10, wherein

the marking device (240) is further configured to add an identifier of the system (200) to the copy of the content material.

12. The system (200) of claim 10, wherein

the renderer (220) is further configured to store an identification of the copy of the content material.

13. The system (200) of claim 7, wherein

the geographic checker (230) is further configured to control the renderer (220) based on a correspondence between an identifier of a source of the content material and an identifier of the system (200).

14. A copy-protection system (200) comprising

a transmitter (220) that is configured to transmit material to one or more receivers, and

a marking device (240) that is configured to mark the material with a geographic marker that corresponds to a locale of the one or more receivers.

15. The copy-protection system (200) of claim 14, wherein

the geographic marker is included in a watermark that is bound to the material.

16. The copy-protection system (200) of claim 14, further including

at least one receiver of the one or more receivers that is configured to control rendering of the material based on a correspondence between the geographic marker and a location of the at least one receiver.