Methods and systems for identifying an area of interest in protectable content

• US 20060212464A1
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software Integrity Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Black Duck Software, Inc. (Synopsys Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Palle Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements

Abstract

A protectable content is inspected using both a first technique and a second technique that is different from the first technique. An area of interest in the protectable content is then identified based on the inspections.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an area of interest in protectable content, the method comprising:

inspecting the protectable content using a first technique;

inspecting the protectable content using a second technique different than the first technique; and

identifying the area of interest based on the inspection using the first technique and the inspection using the second technique.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining supplemental information for the area of interest.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the supplemental information is one or more of adjacent text, adjacent content, adjacent code, file header information, project information, product information, component information, directory information, and licensing information.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining the area of interest to have been copied from a specific source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the supplemental information is one or more of an identification of the specific source, project information associated with the area of interest or the specific source, licenses associated with the area of interest or the specific source, and licensing information associated with the area of interest or the specific source.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising taking an action based on one or more of the area of interest and the supplemental information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the action comprises grouping the area of interest and the supplemental information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the action is one or more of displaying information for a user and prompting a user for supplemental information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the protectable content is source code.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the protectable content is object code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects tokens in the protectable content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects the structure of the protectable content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects the flow of execution of the protectable content.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects copyright notices in the protectable content.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique determines the protectable content to lack copyright notices.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects license information in the protectable content.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique determines the protectable content to lack license information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects license text in the protectable content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique determines the protectable content to lack license text.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects sections of text in the protectable content.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects the protectable content for specific text strings.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique filters its inspection of the protectable content for specific text strings.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects the protectable content for certain file names.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects the protectable content for certain file types.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first technique and the second technique inspects symbol tables in the protectable content.

26. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the protectable content by decompiling object code.

27. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the protectable content by compiling source code.

28. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the protectable content by decompressing compressed content.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the protectable content comprises one or more of a multimedia presentation, a video segment, an audio segment, a textual representation, a work of art, a visual representation, a technological know-how, a business know-how, and a contract right.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising inspecting the protectable content using a third technique different than the first technique and the second technique, and wherein identifying the area of interest is further based on the inspection using the third technique.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising inspecting the protectable content using a fourth technique different than the first technique, the second technique, and the third technique, and wherein identifying the area of interest is further based on the inspection using the fourth technique.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the inspections of the protectable content using the first technique and using the second technique reveal no indications of copying in a section of the protectable content, and wherein that section of the protectable content is identified as the area of interest.