SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING CONTENT OF DIGITAL DATA

• US 20090031326A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Inventors: Wold, Erling
• Granted Patent: US 8,112,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7834 using audio features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/785 using colour or luminescence
• 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

Abstract

A system for identifying a work represented by digital data. This system detects events in data of the content of an unknown work and measures a metric between the events. The system then compares the detected events and metrics from an unknown work with the events and metrics of a known work. If the events and metrics match, the unknown work is identified as a copy of the known work.

Claims

1. An apparatus for identifying a work in a digital processing system comprising:

means for selecting a portion of data of an unknown work;

means for detecting each event in said portion of data of said unknown work;

means for determining a metric between each successive event in said portion of data in said unknown work;

means for generating a list of metrics between said events for said unknown work;

means for comparing said list of metrics for said unknown works to a list of metrics for a known work; and

means for determining said unknown work is a copy of said known work responsive to a match between said list of metrics of said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

means for comparing said list of metrics of said unknown work to a plurality of lists of metrics wherein each list of metrics is for a known work responsive to a determination that said list of metrics of said unknown work did not match said list of metrics of said known work;

means for determining said unknown work is a copy of one of said known works responsive to a match of said list of metrics of said unknown work and said one of said plurality of lists that represents said one of said known works.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

means for generating a group of said plurality of lists of metrics from known works that are likely to match said unknown work.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

means for receiving a segment of data of said unknown work; and

means for selecting said portion of data from said segment of data received.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for receiving said segment of data comprises:

means for reading said data from memory.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said step of receiving said segment of data comprises:

means for receiving packets over a network wherein each packet includes a portion of said data;

means for extracting said data from said packets; and

means for reassembling said segment of data from said packets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for receiving said segment of data comprises:

means for reading said segment from a media storing said segment of data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

means for determining whether said unknown work is an authorized copy of said known work responsive to a determination that said unknown work is a copy of said known work.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

reporting said unknown work is an unauthorized copy responsive to a determination that said unknown work is an unauthorized copy of said known work.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

means for performing a business rule in response to a determination that said unknown work is an unauthorized copy.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

means for performing a secondary test responsive to a determination that said list of said unknown work does match said list of said known work.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising;

means for performing a secondary test responsive to a determination that said comparison between said list of said unknown work and said list of said known work are inconclusive.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

means for performing a secondary test to verify an identity of said unknown work responsive to a determination that said list of said unknown work matches said known work.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for comparing comprises:

means for receiving said list of metrics of said unknown work and said list of metrics of said known work;

means for determining a number of events in said list of metrics for said unknown work that match events in said list of metric for said known work;

means for determining whether said number at least equals a threshold; and

means for returning a match responsive to said number being at least equal to said threshold.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said means for determining said number comprises:

means for aligning an Mth element of said list of metrics of said unknown work with an Nth element of said list of metrics for said known work;

means for performing a first comparison of said lists starting from said Mth element in said list of metrics for said unknown list and said Nth element in said list of metrics for said known work;

means for determining whether said lists match from said Mth element and said Nth element match; and

means for determining a match responsive to a determination said lists match.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

means for recursively determining whether elements of said list of metrics for said unknown work match elements of said list of metrics for said known work.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for determining a match when a number of hits surpasses a threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for determining there is no match responsive to a number of misses being greater than a second threshold.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for receiving said list of metrics for said unknown work starting at the Mth element;

means for receiving said list of metrics of said known work starting at the Nth element;

means for generating a list of associated pairs wherein each M+X element of said list of metrics for said unknown work is paired with the N+X element of said list of metrics for said known work; and

means for computing a regression line through said associated pair in said list of associated pairs.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for computing an error tolerance from said regression line.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for determining a regression error from said computation of said regression line;

means for comparing said regression error to a regression error threshold; and

means for determining a match between said lists responsive to said regression error being less than said regression error threshold.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for determining a weighted error from said computation of said regression line;

means for comparing said weighted error to a weighted error threshold; and

means for determining a match between said lists responsive to said weighted error being less than said weighted error threshold.

23. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for determining a miss ratio from said computation of said regression line;

means for comparing said miss ratio to a miss ratio threshold; and

means for determining a match between said lists responsive to said miss ratio being less than said miss ratio threshold.

24. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for determining a match between said list of metrics for said unknown work and said list of metrics for said known work further comprises:

means for determining a weighted miss ratio from said computation of said regression line;

means for comparing said weighted miss ratio to a weighted miss ratio threshold; and

means for determining a match between said lists responsive to said weighted miss ratio being less than said weighted miss ratio threshold.