STEGANOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES FOR SECURELY DELIVERING ELECTRONIC DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT CONTROL INFORMATION OVER INSECURE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

• US 20090113200A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Weber, Robert P., Van Wie, David M.
• Application Number:
  US12/259,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113200A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1483 using an access-table, e.g. matrix or list
• 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 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• 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 20/00159 Parental control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• 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 20/00557 wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• 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 2020/10916 Seeking data on the record carrier for preparing an access to a specific address
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 : on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40104 : Security; Encryption; Content protection cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 : Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• 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 2005/91328 : the copy protection signal being a copy management signal, e.g. a copy generation management signal [CGMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 : the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 : the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 : involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 : Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 : for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• 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 21/44236 : Monitoring of piracy processes or activities protecting computer platforms against harmful, malicious or unexpected behaviour or activities using intrusion detection and counter measures G06F21/566; computer virus detection and handling G06F21/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 : Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 : the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

Electronic steganographic techniques can be used to encode a rights management control signal onto an information signal carried over an insecure communications channel. Steganographic techniques ensure that the digital control information is substantially invisibly and substantially indelibly carried by the information signal. These techniques can provide end-to-end rights management protection of an information signal irrespective of transformations between analog and digital. An electronic appliance can recover the control information and use it for electronic rights management to provide compatibility with a Virtual Distribution Environment. In one example, the system encodes low data rate pointers within high bandwidth time periods of the content signal to improve overall control information read/seek times.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A method comprising:

receiving scrambled analog electronic content at a first electronic appliance, the first electronic appliance comprising a rights management component, the scrambled analog electronic content including steganographically encoded first control information;

using the rights management component to retrieve the first control information from the scrambled analog electronic content;

in accordance with the first control information, unscrambling the analog electronic content;

in accordance with the first control information, converting the analog electronic content into digital electronic content;

packaging the digital electronic content into a secure electronic container; and

in accordance with the first control information, associating second control information with the digital electronic content, wherein the second control information is separate from the digital electronic content.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the secure electronic container and the second control information to a second electronic appliance.

17. The method of claim 15, in which the secure electronic container comprises the digital electronic content, the digital electronic content being encrypted at least in part.

18. The method of claim 17, in which the secure electronic container further comprises the second control information.

19. The method of claim 18, in which the secure electronic container further comprises an encrypted key block, the encrypted key block being configured for use in decrypting the digital electronic content.

20. The method of claim 15, in which the rights management component comprises a tamper-resistant integrated circuit.

21. A method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic appliance comprising a rights management component, an information signal comprising at least a first portion and a second portion, the information signal further comprising (a) steganographically encoded first control information for governing use of at least the first portion of the information signal, the first control information identifying the first portion of the information signal and specifying at least one permitted or prohibited use of the first portion of the information signal and at least one condition associated with said at least one permitted or prohibited use of the first portion of the information signal, and (b) steganographically encoded second control information for governing use of at least the second portion of the information signal, the second control information identifying the second portion of the information signal and specifying at least one permitted or prohibited use of the second portion of the information signal;

decoding the information signal, using the rights management component, to recover the first control information and the second control information;

using the rights management component to govern use of the first portion of the information signal in accordance with the first control information; and

using the rights management component to govern use of the second portion of the information signal in accordance with the second control information.

22. The method of claim 21, in which the at least one permitted or prohibited use specified by the first control information comprises playing the first portion of the information signal, and in which the at least one condition comprises a requirement that the first portion of the information signal may only be played within a specified time interval.

23. The method of claim 21, in which the second control information specifies that the second portion of the information signal cannot be copied.

24. The method of claim 22, in which the second control information specifies that the second portion of the information signal cannot be copied.

25. The method of claim 21, in which the information signal includes multiple copies of the first control information.

26. The method of claim 21, in which the first portion of the information signal comprises at least a portion of a digitally encoded movie, and in which the second portion of the information signal comprises a trailer associated with the digitally encoded movie.

27. The method of claim 21, in which the rights management component comprises a tamper-resistant integrated circuit.

28. A method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic appliance comprising a rights management component, an information signal comprising steganographically encoded information, the steganographically encoded information referring to first control information external to the information signal for governing use of at least a portion of the information signal;

receiving, at the electronic appliance, separately from the information signal, a secure electronic container comprising the first control information;

using the rights management component to decode the information signal to recover the information referring to the first control information; and

using the rights management component to govern use of at least a portion of the information signal in accordance with the first control information.

29. The method of claim 28, in which the first control information comprises an expiration date after which at least one use of at least a portion of the information signal is prohibited.

30. The method of claim 28, in which the first control information specifies at least one permitted or prohibited use of at least a portion of the information signal, and a condition associated with said at least one permitted or prohibited use.

31. The method of claim 28, in which the information signal further comprises steganographically encoded second control information for use in combination with the first control information to govern use of at least a portion of the information signal.

32. The method of claim 28, in which the rights management component comprises a tamper-resistant integrated circuit.

33. A method comprising:

receiving an information signal at an electronic appliance, the electronic appliance comprising a rights management component, the information signal including steganographically encoded control information, the steganographically encoded control information specifying at least one permitted or prohibited use of at least a portion of the information signal;

using the rights management component to recover the control information from the information signal;

determining, based on the control information, that at least a portion of the information signal is permitted to be copied to a second electronic appliance that is capable of enforcing the control information;

obtaining a digital certificate from the second electronic appliance, the digital certificate attesting to the capability of the second electronic appliance to enforce the control information;

verifying the digital certificate; and

transmitting at least a portion of the information signal to the second electronic appliance.

34. The method of claim 33, in which the rights management component comprises a tamper-resistant integrated circuit.